Cold Front - Weather Events

by ZAMG and FMI

Weather events are highly variable and can differ from season to season. Two type of fronts are distinguished: Ana and Kata Cold Fronts.

Ana Cold Front

Parameter	Description
Precipitation (incl. thunder)	Moderate to heavy showery precipitation Thunderstorms can occur in all seasons.
Temperature	Falls rapidly after the passage of the front. Over land in wintertime temperature can rise after front passage.
Wind (incl. gusts)	Around embedded Cbs strong gusts are possible. Veering of the wind at the front passage
Other relevant information	Precipitation in narrow cloud band just ahead of front (line convection) Enhanced areas with precipitation behind the surface front Risk of moderate to severe icing and turbulence. Areas for severe weather are regions with PVA superimposed, e.g. left exit region of a jet streak

Kata Cold Front

Parameter	Description
Precipitation (incl. thunder)	Precipitation ahead of surface front Precipitation sometimes in narrow bands ahead of surface front Thunderstorms can occur in all seasons.
Temperature	Falls rapidly after the passage of the front. Temperature can rise after front passage over land in wintertime.
Wind (incl. gusts)	Around embedded Cbs strong gusts are possible. Veering of the wind at the front passage
Other relevant information	Risk of moderate to severe icing Risk of moderate to severe turbulence

	19 September 2005/12.00 UTC - Meteosat 8 IR 10.8 image; weather events (green: rain and showers, blue: drizzle, cyan: snow, red: thunderstorm with precipitation, purple: freezing rain, orange: hail, black: no actual precipitation or thunderstorm with precipitation); blue: thermal front parameter 500/850 hPa

Menu Of Cold Front

Typical Appearance In Vertical Cross Sections