The Mid-Latitude Cyclone

Mid-latitude or frontal cyclones are large

traveling atmospheric cyclonic storms up to
2000 kilometers in diameter with centers of low
atmospheric pressure. An intense mid-latitude
cyclone may have a surface pressure as low as
970 millibars, compared to an average sea-level
pressure of 1013 millibars. Frontal cyclones are
the dominant weather event of the Earth's mid-
latitudes forming along the polar front.
 A series of mid-latitude cyclones forming along
the polar front (black line with red half circle and blue
triangle symbols). On the illustration, the low pressure
center of the mid-latitude cyclones is identfied by a red
L. The systems located along the west and east coast of
North America are in the middle stage of their life. The
mid-latitude cyclone east of Greenland is at the end of its
life cycle. In their mature stage, mid-latitude cyclones
have a warm front on the west side of the storm's center
and a cold front to the left. The cold front travels faster
than the warm front. Near the end of the storm's life the
cold front catches up to the warm front causing a
condition known as occlusion.
 Mid-latitude cyclones are the result of the
dynamic interaction of warm tropical and cold
polar air masses at the polar front. This
interaction causes the warm air to be
cyclonically lifted vertically into the atmosphere
where it combines with colder upper atmosphere
air. This process also helps to transport excess
energy from the lower latitudes to the higher
latitudes.
 The mid-latitude cyclone is rarely motionless
and commonly travels about 1200 kilometers in
one day. Its direction of movement is generally
eastward (Figure 7s-2). Precise movement of this
weather system is controlled by the orientation of
the polar jet stream in the upper troposphere. An
estimate of future movement of the mid-latitude
cyclone can be determined by the winds directly
behind the cold front. If the winds are 70
kilometers per hour, the cyclone can be projected
to continue its movement along the ground surface
at this velocity.
Typical paths of mid-latitude cyclones are represented by black
arrows. This image also shows the typical paths traveled by
subtropical hurricanes (green arrows).
 Figure 7s-3 describes the patterns wind flow,
surface pressure, fronts, and zones of precipitation
associated with a mid-latitude cyclone in the Northern
Hemisphere. Around the low, winds blow
counterclockwise and inwards (clockwise and inward in
the Southern Hemisphere). West of the low, cold air from
traveling from the north and northwest creates a cold
front extending from the cyclone's center to the
southwest. Southeast of the low, northward moving warm
air from the subtropics produces a warm front.
Precipitation is located at the center of the low and along
the fronts where air is being uplifted.
 Mid-latitude cyclones can produce a
wide variety of precipitation types.
Precipitation types include: rain, freezing
rain, hail, sleet, snow pellets, and snow.
Frozen forms of precipitation (except hail)
are common with storms that occur in the
winter months. Hail is associated with
severe thunderstorms that form along cold
fronts during spring and summer months.
Figure 7s-3: Fronts, winds patterns, pressure patterns, and
precipitation distribution found in an idealized mature mid-latitude
cyclone.
 Figure 7s-4 describes a vertical cross-section through a
mature mid-latitude cyclone. In this cross-section, we can see
how air temperature changes as we move from behind the cold
front to a position ahead of the warm front. Behind the surface
position of the cold front, forward moving cold dense air causes
the uplift of the warm lighter air in advance of the front. Because
this uplift is relatively rapid along a steep frontal gradient, the
condensed water vapor quickly organizes itself into cumulus and
then cumulonimbus clouds. Cumulonimbus clouds produce
heavy precipitation and can develop into severe thunderstorms
if conditions are right. Along the gently sloping warm front, the
lifting of moist air produces first nimbostratus clouds followed
by altostratus and cirrostratus. Precipitation is less intense
along this front, varying from moderate to light showers some
distance ahead of the surface location of the warm front.
Figure 7s-4: Vertical cross-section of the line A-B in Figure 7s-3.
 Frontal cyclone development is related to
polar jet stream processes. Within the jet stream,
localized areas of air outflow can occur because of
upper air divergence. Outflow results in the
development of an upper air vacuum. To
compensate for the vacuum in the upper
atmosphere, surface air flows cyclonically upward
into the outflow to replenish lost mass. The
process stops and the mid-latitude cyclone
dissipates when the upper air vacuum is filled with
surface air.
 Mid-latitude cyclones cause far less damage
than tropical cyclones or hurricanes. Hurricanes
involve much greater amounts of atmospheric energy
exchange. As one goes away from the equator, the
energy available to fuel a weather system decreases as
the amount of solar radiation and heat declines. Mid-
latitude cyclones can have winds as strong as what is
associated with a weak hurricane. But, this is a rare
occurrence. Frontal cyclones tend to be most
disruptive to human activity during winter months.
Winter storms can produce heavy snowfalls or
freezing rain which slows down transportation, snaps
powerlines, and kills vegetation.
Cyclogeneis
Cyclogenesis is the life cycle of the mid-latitude cyclone.
The cyclone begins as a weak disturbance somewhere
along the frontal zone (stationary front) where cold air
from polar regions meets warm air from the south (Stage
1). The collision of these two air masses results in the
uplift of the warm air into the upper atmosphere creating a
cyclonic spin around a low pressure center (Stages 2 and
3). Associated with this center are the cold and warm
fronts described in topic 7r. During the middle stages of
cyclogenesis, the storm intensifies and the pressure at the
storm's center drops (Stages 4 and 5).
 The warm air south of the low's center and
between the two fronts is known as the warm sector.
Cold fronts usually move along the Earth's surface at
velocities greater than the warm front. As a result, the
late stages of cyclogenesis occur when the cold front
overtakes the warm front causing the air in the warm
sector to be lifted into the upper atmosphere (Stages 6
and 7). The resulting boundary between the cold and
cool air masses is called an occluded front. A day or
two after occlusion the occluded front dissipates,
winds subside, and the stationary front forms on the
surface of the Earth again (Stages 8 to 10).