structural:reformatting, linguistic:voice_change, linguistic:paraphrasing, quality:corruption
Occluded front

An occluded front is formed when a cold front overtakes a warm front, and usually forms around mature low-pressure areas, including cyclones. The cold and warm fronts curve naturally poleward into the point of occlusion, which is also known as the triple point. It lies within a sharp trough, but the air mass behind the boundary can be either warm or cold. In a cold occlusion, the air mass overtaking the warm front is cooler than the cold air mass receding from the warm front and plows under both air masses. In a warm occlusion, the cold air mass overtaking the warm front is warmer than the cold air mass receding from the warm front and rides over the colder air while lifting the warm air.

A wide variety of weather can be found along an occluded front, with thunderstorms possible, but usually their passage is also associated with a drying of the air mass. Within the occlusion of the front, a circulation of air brings warm air upward and sends drafts of cold air downward, or vice versa depending on the type of occlusion the front is experiencing. Precipitations and clouds are associated with the trowal, the projection on the Earth's surface of the tongue of warm air aloft formed during the occlusion process of the depression or storm.

Occluded fronts are indicated on a weather map by a purple line with alternating half-circles and triangles pointing in direction of travel. The trowal is indicated by a series of blue and red junction lines.