What are the 5 air masses affecting the UK?

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What are the 5 air masses affecting the UK?

The weather in the UK is very variable and often poses challenges for forecasters. So, why is this? The UK’s inconsistent weather is primarily due to the influence of air masses, which introduce varying weather conditions daily. An air mass can be defined as a vast body of air that transfers from one region to another, and the weather it carries is shaped by its place of origin and the terrain it has moved across.

Five key air masses influence the weather in the United Kingdom, contributing to the changeable climate characteristic of the region.

What are the 5 air masses affecting the UK?

The characteristics of an air mass are determined by the region over which it has formed and remained for a period of time. For example:

If it has been over the Equator (tropical) it is warm.
If it has been over the Poles (polar) it is cold.
If it has been over the sea (maritime) it is wet.
If it has been over the land (continental) it is dry.

The UK lies at the intersection of five air masses, which gives it such changeable weather.

Summary

The UK’s weather is highly variable, mainly due to the influence of five key air masses that introduce different weather conditions daily. These air masses are shaped by their origins and the terrain they traverse.
The characteristics of these air masses depend on where they have been recently: tropical (warm), polar (cold), maritime (wet), and continental (dry).