What Are Weather Fronts?

Weather fronts are zones or transitional zones that exist between air masses of differing density. Weather fronts extend in both horizontal and vertical directions. Fronts are basically fronts or boundaries between air masses which are of different temperatures. There are different types of weather fronts and their type depends on the characteristics of the masses of air that are interacting and the direction of the air flow. Fronts are generally located on a surface map by reference to sharp changes over distances that are short, changes in moisture, change in the direction of wind, clouds and precipitation, and changes in pressure. Weather fronts are divided into four types: warm fronts, cold fronts, occluded fronts and stationary fronts. Where cool air is being replaced by warmer air at the front it is a warm front. A cold front is the opposite. A stationary front is one that does not move and occluded fronts are formed when cold fronts overtake warm fronts.