1fsw. A Cold Front Chills LouisianaCold fronts can lead to major
changes in weather over short time periods. A cold front that moved
across the United States in January 2013 provides an excellent example.
Figure 9-3-1 shows the position of an advancing cold front on the
morning of January 11 and corresponding observed minimum temperatures. A
cold front extends from northwest Mexico to the Dakotas (Figure 9-3-1a)
and continues northeastward as a stationary front. Behind the front,
daily minimum temperatures were low, especially across Montana and
northern Wyoming (Figure 9-3-1b).By the next morning the cold front had
advanced well to the southeast and extended from North Texas to the
western Great Lakes (Figure 9-3-2a). As expected, the central part of
the country experienced a substantial drop in temperatures and extreme
cold covered much of the western Great Plains (Figure 9-3-2b).
Twenty-four hours later, the cold front continued its eastward migration
but at a slower rate than it had been moving previously (Figure
9-3-3a), and the map of minimum temperatures (Figure 9-3-3b) reflects
this movement. Figure 9-3-4 shows the position of the front and the
corresponding minimum temperatures on January 14.Figure 9-3-5 shows
three 24-hour plots of temperature illustrating how temperatures and dew
points can change with the passage of a cold front. Figure 9-3-5a plots
the temperature and dew points on January 11 at North Platte, Nebraska
(shown as position A on Figure 9—3—1a). Both the temperature and dew
point hovered in the 30s Fahrenheit for most of the day prior to the
passage of the front. But a significant drop in both values occurs after
6 p.m. By 11 p.m. both values had dropped into the 20s. On January 12 a
similar drop in temperature and moisture occurred as the front passed
over Columbia, Missouri, at about 11 a.m. Notice that the temperatures
continued to drop in the afternoon even as a rising afternoon sun would
otherwise be expected to cause daytime warming. The following evening
the front caused an abrupt cooling and drying of the air as it passed
over Baton Rouge, Louisiana, transforming a warm winter evening in the
70s to much cooler and drier conditions.FIGURE 9-3-1 Cold Front: January
11. (a) Surface weather and (b) morning minimum temperatures, January
11, 2013, 7 A.M. EST. Positions A, B, and C, mark the locations of North
Platte, Nebraska; Columbia, Missouri; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana;
respectively....FIGURE 9-3-2 Cold Front: January 12. (a) Surface weather
and (b) morning minimum temperatures. Positions same as Figure
9-3-1....FIGURE 9-3-5 Temperature and Dew Point Plots. Plots shown are
for (a) North Platte, Nebraska, on January 11; (b) Columbia, Missouri,
on January 12; and (c) Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on January 13. Red lines
represent temperature, blue lines, the dew point....What was the overall
effect of the cold front passage described here? Get solution
2fsw. A Cold Front Chills LouisianaCold fronts can lead to major changes in weather over short time periods. A cold front that moved across the United States in January 2013 provides an excellent example. Figure 9-3-1 shows the position of an advancing cold front on the morning of January 11 and corresponding observed minimum temperatures. A cold front extends from northwest Mexico to the Dakotas (Figure 9-3-1a) and continues northeastward as a stationary front. Behind the front, daily minimum temperatures were low, especially across Montana and northern Wyoming (Figure 9-3-1b).By the next morning the cold front had advanced well to the southeast and extended from North Texas to the western Great Lakes (Figure 9-3-2a). As expected, the central part of the country experienced a substantial drop in temperatures and extreme cold covered much of the western Great Plains (Figure 9-3-2b). Twenty-four hours later, the cold front continued its eastward migration but at a slower rate than it had been moving previously (Figure 9-3-3a), and the map of minimum temperatures (Figure 9-3-3b) reflects this movement. Figure 9-3-4 shows the position of the front and the corresponding minimum temperatures on January 14.Figure 9-3-5 shows three 24-hour plots of temperature illustrating how temperatures and dew points can change with the passage of a cold front. Figure 9-3-5a plots the temperature and dew points on January 11 at North Platte, Nebraska (shown as position A on Figure 9—3—1a). Both the temperature and dew point hovered in the 30s Fahrenheit for most of the day prior to the passage of the front. But a significant drop in both values occurs after 6 p.m. By 11 p.m. both values had dropped into the 20s. On January 12 a similar drop in temperature and moisture occurred as the front passed over Columbia, Missouri, at about 11 a.m. Notice that the temperatures continued to drop in the afternoon even as a rising afternoon sun would otherwise be expected to cause daytime warming. The following evening the front caused an abrupt cooling and drying of the air as it passed over Baton Rouge, Louisiana, transforming a warm winter evening in the 70s to much cooler and drier conditions.FIGURE 9-3-1 Cold Front: January 11. (a) Surface weather and (b) morning minimum temperatures, January 11, 2013, 7 A.M. EST. Positions A, B, and C, mark the locations of North Platte, Nebraska; Columbia, Missouri; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana; respectively....FIGURE 9-3-2 Cold Front: January 12. (a) Surface weather and (b) morning minimum temperatures. Positions same as Figure 9-3-1....FIGURE 9-3-5 Temperature and Dew Point Plots. Plots shown are for (a) North Platte, Nebraska, on January 11; (b) Columbia, Missouri, on January 12; and (c) Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on January 13. Red lines represent temperature, blue lines, the dew point....The situation described here illustrates how abrupt decreases in temperature can occur. Do you think Louisiana experienced just as sudden a warm-up afterward? Why or why not? Get solution
2fsw. A Cold Front Chills LouisianaCold fronts can lead to major changes in weather over short time periods. A cold front that moved across the United States in January 2013 provides an excellent example. Figure 9-3-1 shows the position of an advancing cold front on the morning of January 11 and corresponding observed minimum temperatures. A cold front extends from northwest Mexico to the Dakotas (Figure 9-3-1a) and continues northeastward as a stationary front. Behind the front, daily minimum temperatures were low, especially across Montana and northern Wyoming (Figure 9-3-1b).By the next morning the cold front had advanced well to the southeast and extended from North Texas to the western Great Lakes (Figure 9-3-2a). As expected, the central part of the country experienced a substantial drop in temperatures and extreme cold covered much of the western Great Plains (Figure 9-3-2b). Twenty-four hours later, the cold front continued its eastward migration but at a slower rate than it had been moving previously (Figure 9-3-3a), and the map of minimum temperatures (Figure 9-3-3b) reflects this movement. Figure 9-3-4 shows the position of the front and the corresponding minimum temperatures on January 14.Figure 9-3-5 shows three 24-hour plots of temperature illustrating how temperatures and dew points can change with the passage of a cold front. Figure 9-3-5a plots the temperature and dew points on January 11 at North Platte, Nebraska (shown as position A on Figure 9—3—1a). Both the temperature and dew point hovered in the 30s Fahrenheit for most of the day prior to the passage of the front. But a significant drop in both values occurs after 6 p.m. By 11 p.m. both values had dropped into the 20s. On January 12 a similar drop in temperature and moisture occurred as the front passed over Columbia, Missouri, at about 11 a.m. Notice that the temperatures continued to drop in the afternoon even as a rising afternoon sun would otherwise be expected to cause daytime warming. The following evening the front caused an abrupt cooling and drying of the air as it passed over Baton Rouge, Louisiana, transforming a warm winter evening in the 70s to much cooler and drier conditions.FIGURE 9-3-1 Cold Front: January 11. (a) Surface weather and (b) morning minimum temperatures, January 11, 2013, 7 A.M. EST. Positions A, B, and C, mark the locations of North Platte, Nebraska; Columbia, Missouri; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana; respectively....FIGURE 9-3-2 Cold Front: January 12. (a) Surface weather and (b) morning minimum temperatures. Positions same as Figure 9-3-1....FIGURE 9-3-5 Temperature and Dew Point Plots. Plots shown are for (a) North Platte, Nebraska, on January 11; (b) Columbia, Missouri, on January 12; and (c) Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on January 13. Red lines represent temperature, blue lines, the dew point....The situation described here illustrates how abrupt decreases in temperature can occur. Do you think Louisiana experienced just as sudden a warm-up afterward? Why or why not? Get solution
