Home >> Science & Nature >> Nature

What Type of Front Will Cause Precipitation?

Precipitation occurs when water falls to the earth from the clouds. Water returns to the earth in many forms, including rain, snow, sleet and hail. Just one part of a water cycle, precipitation involves cycling water from the oceans and other humid areas of the earth, then transferring that moisture to other areas, according to the Environmental Literacy Council. Many things can cause water to return to the earth. Among those causes are weather fronts.

What is a Front?
- Fronts are the boundaries that are situated between two different masses of air. Each air mass contains different densities because of varying temperatures, wind speeds and moisture content, according to the National Weather Service.
Types of Fronts
- There are four main types of fronts: warm fronts, cold fronts, stationary fronts and occluded fronts. A warm front occurs when the cold air is ahead of warm air. With a warm front, warm air slowly replaces cold air. Cold fronts are the opposite of warm fronts, replacing warm air with cold air. As the name implies, stationary fronts remain still or almost still. With this type of front, warm air is in the front while cold air is the back. When a cold front moves towards a warm front, the confrontation is considered an occluded front, according to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Department of Atmospheric Sciences.
Precipitation Caused by Warm Fronts
- Cold and warm fronts are primarily responsible for precipitation. The air following warm fronts is not only warm but also moist. If enough moist air exists behind the warm front, the moisture will change forms when the warm air meets the cold air. The water vapor changes to precipitation. According to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Department of Atmospheric Sciences, clouds and light precipitation fall ahead of the warm front. Clear skies, higher temperatures and higher relative humidity levels typically exist behind the warm front.
Precipitation Caused by Cold Fronts
- Like warm fronts, cold fronts may cause rain when cold and warm air clash. Because warm air rises, the pattern of precipitation is a bit different from cold fronts. When cold air combines with warm air, the combined air force rises and produces clouds. Unlike warm fronts, these clouds are more substantial. Intense rain storms will develop when the moisture level is high enough. And, if the air is unstable, thunderstorms may ensue.

Nature