FAA Sport Pilot Airplane (SPA)WeatherMedium
A weather briefer explains 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?
- AWarm front
- BStationary front
- COccluded front
- DCold front
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Occluded front
An occluded front forms when a faster cold front overtakes a slower warm front, forcing the warm air mass aloft and often producing complex, mixed weather at the surface.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. A warm front alone does not involve a cold front overtaking it.
- B. A stationary front shows little movement, unlike this overtaking scenario.
- D. A cold front alone does not describe two fronts merging.
Occluded Front
Forms when a fast-moving cold front overtakes a slower warm front, lifting the warm air mass off the ground and often producing complex weather.
- Cold-type occlusion: coldest air stays at surface, colder than air ahead
- Warm-type occlusion: overtaking air is not as cold, rides up over air ahead
- Weather often mixed and complex, similar to both cold and warm fronts
Memory trick: Occluded = cold front 'sneaks up and squeezes out' the warm front.