FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot (UAG)WeatherMedium
A weather briefing indicates that a fast-moving cold front has caught up to and overtaken a slower warm front ahead of it, lifting the warm air mass completely off the surface. What type of front is being described?
- ASquall line
- BStationary front
- COccluded front
- DDry line
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Occluded front
An occluded front forms when a faster-moving cold front overtakes a slower warm front, forcing the warm air mass aloft and combining the characteristics of both frontal types. Occluded fronts often produce widespread precipitation and complex, rapidly changing weather that is hazardous for sUAS operations.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. A squall line is a band of thunderstorms, not a front type formed by overtaking.
- B. A stationary front occurs when two air masses meet with neither advancing, not when one overtakes the other.
- D. A dry line separates moist and dry air masses and does not involve one front overtaking another.
Occluded Front
A front formed when a faster cold front catches up to and overtakes a slower warm front, lifting the warm air mass off the surface.
- Combines characteristics of both cold and warm fronts
- Produces widespread and often severe precipitation
- Two types: cold occlusion and warm occlusion
- Weather can be complex and change rapidly
Memory trick: 'Occluded = One front swallows another' — cold catches warm from behind.