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December 2000 Storm: Satellite, Winds, and Sea Level Pressure -
The temperature and dewpoint contrasts in the preceding animations were accompanied by wind shifts and clouds. In the animation below, surface winds are indicated by arrows pointing in the direction the air is flowing, with lengths of the arrows proportional to speed. The animation also shows the sea level pressures (blue lines) superimposed on infrared satellite imagery. Notice how the wind changes its speed and direction at the leading edge of the polar airmass, which is located behind the cold front of the low pressure center moving northeastward into New England. A wind shift is also apparent along the warm front to the east of the low. Clouds accompany the fronts of the cyclone, as shown by the long bright band extending from the East Coast to northern Mexico in the middle frames of the animation. Finally, notice how the surface winds are affected by friction. Does the pattern of airflow relative to the isobars agree with the physical explanations of frictional effects in Chapter 7?
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