Weather Systems Lab

Weather Systems Simulation – Fronts, Pressure & Storms

Weather systems are organized patterns of atmospheric pressure, wind, and moisture that determine day-to-day conditions across the globe. This simulation builds from the basics—air mass properties and pressure gradients—up to the development of mid-latitude cyclones, frontal boundaries, and mesoscale convective systems. Manipulate temperature contrasts, moisture, and the Coriolis effect to watch synoptic-scale weather patterns evolve.

What you can do in this simulation

• Place warm and cold air masses on a map and observe frontal boundaries, pressure gradient winds, and convergence zones that form between them
• Enable the Coriolis effect and watch how it deflects winds to create cyclonic and anticyclonic circulation around pressure centers
• Trigger convective storm development by increasing surface heating and atmospheric instability, then track cell organization into supercells
• Follow the life cycle of a mid-latitude cyclone from initial wave disturbance through occlusion to dissipation
• Adjust upper-level jet stream position and trace how it steers surface storm tracks across continents

Concepts covered

air pressure gradient · frontal systems · Coriolis effect · mid-latitude cyclone · convective instability · jet stream

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