Wave cyclone life cycle
Wave cyclone: low-pressure circulation forming and moving along a front, giving it a wavelike kink.
- Primary mid-latitude weather producer
- Moves west to east
- Lasts a few days to more than a week (AWH 11.4)
- Not a tornado (AWH 11.4)
Life cycle (5 stages, one front):
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 | Stationary front separates warm air from cold air; no wave yet. |
| 2 | Low-pressure wave forms (kink); precipitation heaviest in zone of lift along the front. |
| 3 | Wave intensifies: cold front and warm front both better organized. |
| 4 | Mature low; occluded front forms as cold front overtakes warm front. |
| 5 | Occlusion grows, eventually cutting off warm moist air supply; low gradually dissipates. |
Trap: occlusion (stage 4) is mid-life, not death; the low dissipates only after the growing occlusion cuts off its warm, moist air (stage 5).
References
- FAA Aviation Weather Handbook (FAA-H-8083-28) 11.3
- FAA Aviation Weather Handbook (FAA-H-8083-28) 11.4
- PHAK ch.12 Occluded Front