Mid latitude cyclones

• In the Southern Hemisphere[left hand] winds rotate clockwise and in the Northern Hemisphere[right hand] winds rotate anticlockwise
• they occur all year round but are more common in the winter seasons
• they occur approximately between 30 degrees and 60 degrees north and south of the equator. this is where warm moist air meets cold dry air
• A polar front is a zone that separates the warm westerlies from the cold polar wind, situated at about 60 degrees north and south latitude.
• they travel in the westerly winds, from west to east in both hemispheres. they are driven by westerly winds.
• mid-latitude cyclones are low-pressure systems associated with the meeting of warm moist air and cold dry air
• the two air masses have different densities, they do not mix but are separated by a front[the transaction zone between two air masses]
• a warm front is found where the air is advancing and being forced to override cooler air[precipitation, move slow{north to south}, not dense ], powerful winds, bringing moderate + long weather conditions]
• a cold front occurs when advancing cold air undercuts a body of warm air[thunderstorms/heavy rainfall, extreme weather, move faster than a warm front coz cold air is denser, stronger, as it reaches the surface it decreases the air temperature]
• an occluded front happens when a cold front catches up with a warm front [strongest wind speeds, heavy precipitation, rapid changes in weather patterns], can be seen on satellite images as a trough or kinked line
• warm fronts are less steep than cold fronts because warm air is less dense than cold air so it rises more slowly
• in a warm front, the warmer air moves over the colder air, causing the colder air to rise and the warmer air to sink
• cold fronts are steeper than warm fronts because cold air is denser than warm air so it sinks more quickly
• in a cold front, the colder air pushes underneath the warmer air, forcing the warmer air to lift and creating an area of low pressure
• in a cold front, the colder air pushes underneath the warmer air, forcing it to lift and form clouds and precipitation.
• water temperatures at the ocean surface must be at least 26 degrees Celsius so that the air above is sufficiently unstable
• latent heat is the heat that is released or absorbed accompanied of state of a phase for warm moist air to rise through the systems
• gale force winds are the strong winds that blow in a straight line and are very fast