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I've noticed that the weather is always warmer just before a storm. Is that because of the heat of condensation from the formation of rain or snow?
Mike R. ***********************************************************
During March, we've had several sharp cold fronts pass through Utah, ahead of these storms, it has been a lot warmer. Winds aheads of a cold front are from the south and winds behind the front will be from the north or west. What makes a cold front indeed a cold front is the difference of air masses, cold and warm. Behind the front, the air is much colder than the air that it is replacing.
Air ahead of the front is warm, south winds bring in warmer air from our south and we can have sunshine too. Both of those factors make it warmer.
Often times, the front lifts the air ahead or along it, this creates clouds, condensation and storms. So sometimes you see a thin line of storms, right along the front, then once the storm arrives, it gets cold, and after it's gone, even colder.
Once the front passes over you, if it's a cold front, the temperature will go down. Also, if rain has fallen, as rain evaporates back into the air, that will also help to keep things cooler temporarily.
But, if we were wedged in the area between the warm and cold front, this area is called the warm sector. We could have had rain and then after our storms moved out, it could actually warm up a bit and get pretty muggy. Then once the cold front blows through, it will all be colder after that.
While rain and snow might be ahead of a cold front, that does not make it warmer. Typically it would be the warm air that is already present and the south winds bringing in warmer air as well.
Answered by KSL Meteorologist Dina Freedman.
