How to read weather maps: Fronts

Cold front: represents cold polar air mass advancing in direction of triangle
Warm front: represents warm tropical air mass advancing in direction of semicircle
Stationary front: doesn't move, which usually meeans a long spell of cloudy, rainy weather
Occluded front: Occurs near center of low pressure systems as cold front catches up to warm front

• Fronts are important because divide air masses and bring in temperature and humidity changes. They are also are associated with ascending motion, cloud and precipitation.