Stationary front
Topic: Air Masses, Fronts, Cyclones and Thunderstorms · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 9 "Atmospheric Circulation and Weather Systems"
Meaning
A stationary front is a front where neither air mass is advancing. The cold air and the warm air push against each other with equal strength, so the boundary hardly moves. It can stay in one place for days, giving long spells of cloud and rain. On weather maps, it is shown by alternating blue triangles and red semicircles. An extratropical (temperate) cyclone often begins as a small wave on a stationary front.
Example
In early summer, a nearly stationary front stretches across central China and southern Japan. This is called the Meiyu front in China and the Baiu front in Japan. It brings weeks of steady "plum rain" to both countries.
Don't confuse with
- Occluded front: an occluded front forms when a cold front catches up with a warm front. It marks the end of a temperate cyclone, while a stationary front is often where one begins.