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 Warm Fronts in the Pensacola Region 
 
 
Warm frontal systems will usually pass through the 
local area when the low moves into the east Arkansas/west 
Mississippi area.  Weather associated with the frontal 
passage usually is multi-layered cloudiness with widely 
scattered light rain.  Warm-sector cloudiness and 
visibility will depend on the wind velocity in the warm 
sector.  Warm fronts influencing the local area originate 
from two synoptic situations:
  
 1) In the first situation, a wave develops on a quasi-
stationary frontal system in the southwestern Gulf and 
moves northeast.  The wave center moves inland, usually 
around Lafayette, Louisiana with the warm front trailing 
southeast into the central Gulf.  As the low center tracks 
to the northeast, the warm front moves in relation to the 
low.  Typical warm frontal weather is experienced as the 
front moves through the local area. Cloudiness and visibility
in the warm sector will depend on wind velocity in the warm 
sector after the warm front moves north of the station.  
Embedded thunderstorm activity is a frequent occurrence with 
the passage of the warm front.
  
 2) In the second situation, a cold front moves through the 
local area and into the central Gulf trailing westward to 
southern Texas.  The local area experiences clear weather for 
48-72 hours as the high pushing the cold front moves to the 
East Coast.  With continued eastward progression of the high, 
the front in south Texas begins to move northeast as a warm 
front and usually becomes connected with a new low developing 
on the cold front moving into central Texas.  As this low moves 
east, the frontal system moves in relation to the low.
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