FAA Instrument Rating Airplane (IRA)Weather and Weather ServicesMedium
A pilot is briefed that a fast-moving cold front will pass through the departure airport shortly before takeoff. Which weather sequence is the pilot most likely to observe during and immediately after frontal passage?
- AIncreasing high cirrus clouds followed by steady, prolonged rain and rising temperatures
- BPersistent drizzle, poor visibility, and little change in wind direction
- CA gradual wind shift, steadily falling temperatures over many hours, and widespread stratus clouds
- DA sudden wind shift, brief but intense precipitation, cumuliform clouds, and a temperature drop
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. A sudden wind shift, brief but intense precipitation, cumuliform clouds, and a temperature drop
Fast-moving cold fronts are associated with a narrow band of steep, cumuliform clouds and often produce brief but intense precipitation and gusty, shifting winds; temperatures typically fall noticeably behind the front as colder air replaces the warm air mass.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Cirrus clouds followed by prolonged steady rain describe a warm front, not a cold front.
- B. Persistent drizzle and stable winds are more characteristic of stationary or warm front conditions.
- C. This gradual pattern is more typical of a slow-moving warm front, not a fast cold front.
Cold Front Passage
A cold front is marked by a narrow zone of cumuliform clouds, brief but intense precipitation, gusty shifting winds, and a temperature drop as it passes.
- Fast movement, steep frontal slope
- Cumuliform clouds and possible thunderstorms
- Abrupt wind shift and temperature decrease
Memory trick: Cold front = quick and cumuliform; warm front = slow and stratiform.