Which statement describes how an occluded front forms?

Which statement describes how an occluded front forms?

• A. A warm front overtaking a cold front
• B. A stationary front separating two air masses
• C. A dry air mass wrapping around a moist air mass
• D. A cold front overtaking a warm front

Answer: (D)

An occluded front forms when a cold front catches up to and overtakes a warm front in a mid-latitude cyclone, driving the warm air aloft between the two boundaries. The faster cold air behind the advancing front wedges under the warm air ahead, creating the occluded boundary. This is why the description of a cold front overtaking a warm front is the correct one. The other ideas describe different weather setups or air-mass interactions that don’t produce an occlusion.

An occluded front forms when a cold front catches up to and overtakes a warm front in a mid-latitude cyclone, driving the warm air aloft between the two boundaries. The faster cold air behind the advancing front wedges under the warm air ahead, creating the occluded boundary. This is why the description of a cold front overtaking a warm front is the correct one. The other ideas describe different weather setups or air-mass interactions that don’t produce an occlusion.