COLD FRONT: What exactly is it and how does it shove and replace a warm airmass? Meteorologist Brittney Merlot teaches us the science of this leading edge temperature drop off, which can move twice as fast and produce sharper changes than it's counter part, the warm front.
You must know that cold fronts are associated with a low pressure system. They are marked on a map with a blue line and triangle shaped pips, pointing out in the direction of its movement.
Cold air is denser than warm air, so when a cold front moves through, the air with greater density wedges under the less dense warmer air, lifting it. This lift can cause the formation of a line of showers and strong thunderstorms, but only if enough moisture is present which includes heat and humidity.
These storms can sometimes be visible in a shelf cloud, associated with a squall line, along the cold front.
In the video above, Merlot describes what is happening in this particular cloud and why it is so unique!
