cold front
- the zone separating two air masses, of which the cooler, denser mass is advancing and replacing the warmer.
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Origin of cold front
First recorded in 1920–25
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for cold front
Historical Examples
The passage of a cold-front storm may almost halt migration in spring.
A Quantitative Study of the Nocturnal Migration of Birds.George H. Lowery.
cold front
- the boundary line between a warm air mass and the cold air pushing it from beneath and behind as it moves
- the line on the earth's surface where the cold front meets it
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Compare warm front
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
cold front
- The forward edge of an advancing mass of cold air that pushes under a mass of warm air. Cold fronts often cause precipitation; water vapor in the rising warm air condenses and forms clouds, often resulting in heavy rain, thunderstorms, hail, or snow. Winter cold fronts can cause temperatures to drop significantly. Summer cold fronts reduce humidity as drier, cooler air displaces the humid, warmer air. On a weather map, a cold front is depicted as a blue line with triangles that point in the direction in which the cold air is moving. Compare occluded front warm front. See illustration at front.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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