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Topic 6 Lessons 3&4
Air Masses and Predicting Weather Changes
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| air mass | a huge body of air that has similar temperature, humidity and air pressure |
| jet stream | a band of high-speed winds about 6 to 15 km above Earth's surface |
| front | the boundary where the air masses meet |
| cold front | when a cold air mass runs into a warm air mass (warm air pushes up and the cold below) |
| warm front | when a fast-moving warm air mass overtakes a slower-moving cold air mass (warm air rises above the cold air) |
| occluded front | when a warm air mass gets caught between two cold air masses |
| stationary front | when neither air mass can move the other, a non-moving front |
| cyclone | a swirling center of low air pressure |
| anticyclone | a high-pressure center of dry air |
| meteorologist | a scientist who studies and predicts weather |