FAA Private Pilot Airplane (PAR)Weather Theory and ServicesMedium
A pilot's preflight briefing indicates a warm front will approach and pass over the destination airport during the flight. Which sequence of weather conditions should the pilot expect before and during the frontal passage?
- AClear skies followed by a sudden line of thunderstorms and a sharp temperature drop
- BRapidly rising ceilings and improving visibility, followed by scattered afternoon showers
- CLowering ceilings and decreasing visibility in continuous precipitation, followed by gradual clearing and a wind shift as the front passes
- DSteady high ceilings with no precipitation, followed by an abrupt wind shift to the northwest
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Lowering ceilings and decreasing visibility in continuous precipitation, followed by gradual clearing and a wind shift as the front passes
Warm fronts are typically preceded by high cirrus clouds that gradually lower into stratus and nimbostratus with continuous precipitation and worsening visibility as the front approaches. After passage, skies gradually clear, temperatures rise, and winds shift, in contrast to the abrupt changes of a cold front.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Sudden thunderstorms and sharp temperature drops describe a fast-moving cold front, not a warm front.
- B. Warm front passage is gradual, not marked by rapidly rising ceilings before passage.
- D. Warm fronts bring lowering ceilings and precipitation, not steady clear conditions.
Warm Front Weather Sequence
A warm front is preceded by gradually lowering ceilings, continuous precipitation, and reduced visibility, followed by gradual clearing and rising temperatures after passage.
- Cirrus clouds often precede a warm front by hundreds of miles
- Precipitation is typically steady, not showery
- Wind shifts and temperatures rise gradually after passage
Memory trick: Warm fronts creep in slow, then clear up nice and slow