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6th grade Air masses, fronts and the weather they bring worksheet

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Air masses, fronts and the weather they bring

Grade 6 Science Worksheet

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Weather map with a cold front (blue line, triangles) just west of a town dot, moving east. A cold front passes Bo's town in the afternoon. Which weather change is most likely?

    • Warmer, more humid air afterward
    • A quick storm, then cooler, drier air
    • No change; fronts are just map lines
    • Days of steady rain, then warmer, humid air
  2. A warm front slowly moves into Esme's area. Which weather pattern comes with it?

    • Hours of steady, light rain, then warmer air
    • Cooler, drier air right away
    • Clear skies the whole time
    • A quick storm, then cooler air
  3. A front stalls over Jun's town for three days. Which weather is likely?

    • A quick storm, then clear skies
    • Nothing; fronts have to keep moving
    • Several days of clouds and rain
    • Clear skies, since the front stopped
  4. On Luz's map, City P sits under an L and City Q sits under an H. Which city is more likely to have clouds and rain?

    • City P, under the L
    • Both cities equally
    • Neither; pressure has no effect
    • City Q, under the H
  5. Read this first

    Use this

    Map of the central United States with a rain area over Kansas; Colorado to the west and Missouri to the east are labeled.

  6. A rainstorm is over Kansas today. Where is it most likely to be tomorrow, by Milo's forecast?

    • Farther east, toward Missouri
    • Straight north into Canada
    • Farther west, over Colorado
    • Still over Kansas, since storms stay put
  7. In spring, moist air from the Gulf meets dry desert air over west Texas. What often forms along the line where they meet, says Noah?

    • Clear skies, since the dry air wins
    • Nothing; the two air masses mix quietly
    • Snow, since desert air is cold
    • Thunderstorms
  8. “Side view:” A warm front is moving north toward Ren's town. Where do its first clouds usually appear?

    • Nowhere; warm fronts bring clear skies
    • Far ahead of the front, as warm air slides up
    • Behind the front, after it passes
    • Right on the front line, not before
  9. Table, Weather log (example data), with columns Time, Temperature, Pressure, Wind and Sky

    1 p.m., 82°F (28°C), pressure falling, wind from the south, hazy; 3 p.m., 80°F, lowest pressure, wind from the south, cloudy; 4 p.m., temperature and pressure not recorded, wind shifts to the west, thunderstorm; 6 p.m., 68°F (20°C), pressure rising, wind from the northwest, clearing.

  10. Tala reads a weather log from one afternoon. About when did the cold front pass?

    • Around 4 p.m., with the storm and wind shift
    • Around 6 p.m., when the sky cleared
    • It was a warm front, since the day began warm
    • Around 1 p.m., when it was warmest
  11. Using the same log, which entry best shows that cooler, drier air has arrived, by Zee's reading?

    • The 3 p.m. lowest pressure
    • The 1 p.m. south wind
    • The 6 p.m. drop to 68°F with northwest wind
    • The 4 p.m. thunderstorm
  12. Ari's barometer rises steadily for two days, from 29.70 to 30.20 inches. Which weather does Ari expect?

    • No change, since pressure doesn't matter
    • Clearing skies as high pressure moves in
    • A warm front with steady rain
    • More clouds and rain as low pressure deepens
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6th grade Air masses, fronts and the weather they bring worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Air masses, fronts and the weather they bring. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can name air masses by their source (polar or tropical, continental or maritime) and say the weather they bring.
  • I can read front symbols, H and L on a weather map and say what happens as a front passes.
  • I can use maps, logs and pressure readings to forecast the next day's weather.

Standard: MS-ESS2-5

Words to know

air mass: A huge body of air with about the same temperature and moisture throughout

maritime / continental: Formed over ocean (moist) / formed over land (dry)

polar / tropical: Formed in cold northern places / formed in warm southern places

front: The boundary where two air masses meet

high / low pressure: Sinking air, usually clear / rising air, usually clouds and rain

Common mistakes

Your child mixed up which air masses are moist and which are dry. Air that forms over oceans is moist; air that forms over land is dry.

Your child mixed up warm and cold air masses. Polar air masses form in the far north and are cold; tropical ones form near the equator and are warm.

Your child mixed up cold fronts and warm fronts. Cold fronts bring quick storms, then cooler air; warm fronts bring steady rain, then warmer air.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with air masses, fronts and the weather they bring?

Your child mixed up which air masses are moist and which are dry. Air that forms over oceans is moist; air that forms over land is dry.

Are these 6th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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