While temperatures and dew points usually decline, and can sometimes really plunge in the wake of a cold front, occasionally temperatures don't drop much (if at all) behind a cold front. Remember, cA air is the coldest of the cold and the driest of the dry, so such temperatures and dew points are commonplace in cA air masses during winter. At 10 A.M., the dew point was 23 degrees Fahrenheit, but just four hours later at 2 P.M., the dew point had dropped to 1 degree Fahrenheit (and eventually fell below zero). Even more notable was the decline in dew points. By evening, temperatures were dropping into the single digits. temperature in Findlay was 28 degrees Fahrenheit, but just two hours later at noon, the temperature had dropped to 16 degrees Fahrenheit as cA air rushed in. local time, both temperature and dew point started a notable decline. Can you spot the footprint of the passing front in the temperature and dew point traces on the graph (note that local time is expressed at the bottom)? The cold front passed through Findlay around 15Z (10 A.M. On this particular morning, a strong cold front, marking the boundary between continental-Polar (cP) air and continental-Arctic (cA) air was barreling through the Midwest. To see what I mean, check out the graph below, from Findlay, Ohio from February 14, 2015. Furthermore, dew points typically drop in the wake of a cold frontal passage, since the advancing colder air masses are often drier, too. Indeed, that's usually (although not always) the case. Given that a cold front marks the leading edge of advancing colder air, you can probably guess that temperatures decrease after a cold front passes a given location. Meteorologists track the winds on the cold side of the front to see if cold air is advancing. Simply put, a cold front marks the leading edge of an advancing cold air mass, and is marked on a weather map as a chain of blue triangles pointing in the direction of movement (toward the warmer air).

All Rights Reserved.So, what's the difference between these types of fronts? Let's explore. Forecast models are now indicating a mainly dry weekend, as the storm in question is suppressed to our south. Thursday will be sunny and cool, with a high of 68, and a continuation of breezy conditions.Īs for the holiday weekend, it was initially looking like a potential washout, however, things have changed. Our low will be 49, with winds gusting 15-20 mph. Once the front passes late tonight, skies will clear, temps will drop, and winds will turn gusty.

The showers will be mainly light, and the storms are not expected to be severe.

We'll then see a chance of showers and isolated storms develop between 3-9 pm as a cold front approaches. Sunny skies will dominate the first half of the day, albeit with some haze from the ongoing Canadian wildfires. A few low 80s are possible for portions of northern New Jersey. The cool temperatures of this morning will translate to a warm afternoon, with highs in the mid to upper 70s.

Warm front