TERMIUM Plus®

The Government of Canada’s terminology and linguistic data bank.

WEATHER FRONT [21 records]

Filter results by subject field Alphabetical list of terms

Filter results by subject field

Alphabetical list of terms

Record 1 2023-02-23

English

Subject field(s)
  • Atmospheric Physics
CONT

Upper warm front : A warm front in the upper atmosphere, not reaching the surface. Quite often, this carries the weather of a surface warm-front but not the wind shifts or pressure changes.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Physique de l'atmosphère
CONT

Front chaud en altitude : Un front chaud dans la haute atmosphère qui ne se manifeste pas à la surface. Assez souvent, il présente les conditions météorologiques d'un front chaud de surface, mais sans les sautes de vent ou les changements de pression.

Spanish

Save record 1

Record 2 2023-02-23

English

Subject field(s)
  • Atmospheric Physics
CONT

Upper cold-front : A cold front in the upper atmosphere that does not reach the surface. Quite often, this carries the weather of a surface cold-front but not the wind shifts or pressure changes. It usually precedes a surface cold-front.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Physique de l'atmosphère
CONT

Front froid en altitude : Un front froid dans la haute atmosphère qui ne se manifeste pas à la surface. Assez souvent, il comporte les conditions météorologiques d'un front froid de surface, mais sans les sautes de vent ou les changements de pression.

Spanish

Save record 2

Record 3 2023-01-24

English

Subject field(s)
  • Atmospheric Physics
CONT

A weather front is the interface between two air masses with differing characteristics such as the border between a cold, dry air mass, and a warmer, wetter one.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Physique de l'atmosphère
CONT

Un front météorologique est une surface qui sépare deux masses qui ont des propriétés physiques (température, pression et humidité) différentes.

Spanish

Campo(s) temático(s)
  • Física de la atmósfera
DEF

Línea de intersección de la superficie de separación de dos masas de aire con otra superficie o con el suelo.

Save record 3

Record 4 2022-10-26

English

Subject field(s)
  • Meteorological Forecasting, Data Measurement and Analysis
CONT

Another round of showers and perhaps a few rumbles of thunder is likely as a decaying line of storms ahead of a cold front approaches from the west Tuesday. These storms won’t pose a severe weather threat, but could produce occasionally heavy rain.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Prévisions météorologiques et mesure et analyse des données

Spanish

Save record 4

Record 5 2022-08-17

English

Subject field(s)
  • Atmospheric, Climatic and Meteorological Phenomena
CONT

The weather forecast was calling for a violent front to come through with thunderstorms, high winds and hail.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Phénomènes météorologiques, climatiques et atmosphériques

Spanish

Save record 5

Record 6 2016-11-07

English

Subject field(s)
  • Bodywork and Framework (Motor Vehicles)
DEF

A sheet of shatter proof glass that extends across the front of the passenger compartment, providing good visibility and protection from the weather.

OBS

windshield; windscreen: terms standardized by ISO.

OBS

windshield: term officially approved by the Lexicon Project Committee (New Brunswick).

Key term(s)
  • wind screen
  • wind shield

French

Domaine(s)
  • Carrosserie, caisse et châssis (Véhicules automobiles)
DEF

Paroi transparente à l'avant d'un véhicule pour protéger les occupants de l'air, du vent, des poussières.

OBS

pare-brise : terme normalisé par l'ISO.

OBS

pare-brise : terme uniformisé par le Comité du projet de lexiques (Nouveau-Brunswick).

Spanish

Campo(s) temático(s)
  • Carrocería y chasis (Vehículos automotores)
DEF

Luna de vidrio de seguridad o de otra materia transparente, que se pone en la parte frontal de un vehículo para resguardar del viento a los viajeros sin impedir la visibilidad al conductor.

Save record 6

Record 7 2015-08-26

English

Subject field(s)
  • Hydrology and Hydrography
  • Weather Stations and Meteorological Instruments and Equipment
CONT

Hydrologists at the University of Saskatchewan are building a network of 30 weather stations and streamflow gauges to capture vital hydrometeorological data in the Rocky Mountains north of Banff and in the Front Ranges of the Kananaskis Valley.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Hydrologie et hydrographie
  • Stations, instruments et équipements météorologiques
CONT

Les hydrologues de l’Université de la Saskatchewan bâtissent un réseau de 30 stations météorologiques et indicateurs de débit d’eau afin de saisir des données hydrométéorologiques essentielles dans les Rocheuses, au nord de Banff et dans le chaînon frontal de la vallée de Kananaskis.

Spanish

Save record 7

Record 8 2015-07-21

English

Subject field(s)
  • Meteorological Forecasting, Data Measurement and Analysis
  • Hydrology and Hydrography
CONT

Hydrologists at the University of Saskatchewan are building a network of 30 weather stations and streamflow gauges to capture vital hydrometeorological data in the Rocky Mountains north of Banff and in the Front Ranges of the Kananaskis Valley.

OBS

The plural form "data," which is more commonly used than the singular form "datum," may be perceived as a collective noun, which takes a singular verb. However, "data" takes a plural verb if attention is being focused on each individual piece of data (e.g. The data suggest growth will be weak.).

Key term(s)
  • hydrometeorological datum

French

Domaine(s)
  • Prévisions météorologiques et mesure et analyse des données
  • Hydrologie et hydrographie
CONT

Les hydrologues de l'Université de la Saskatchewan bâtissent un réseau de 30 stations météorologiques et indicateurs de débit d'eau afin de saisir des données hydrométéorologiques essentielles dans les Rocheuses, au nord de Banff et dans le chaînon frontal de la vallée de Kananaskis.

Key term(s)
  • donnée hydrométéorologique

Spanish

Save record 8

Record 9 2007-10-31

English

Subject field(s)
  • Atmospheric Physics
DEF

A transition zone in the atmosphere where an advancing cold air mass sandwiches a warm air mass between another cold air mass pushing the warm air into the upper atmosphere.

CONT

The cold front of an intensifying weather system picks up speed and catches up with the warm front. When the cold front reaches the warm front, the warm air is caught and squeezed more and more between the two fronts. It will be lifted and the system becomes occluded, producing what is known as a trowal("TRough Of Warm Air aLoft").

CONT

The weather associated with a TROWAL varies considerably from dry to showery to heavy precipitation.

CONT

An occluded front is moving across the province today. [Example approved by the Avalanche Bulletin Terminology Standardization Committee.]

OBS

occluded front; trough of warm air aloft; TROWAL: terms officially approved by the Avalanche Bulletin Terminology Standardization Committee.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Physique de l'atmosphère
DEF

Front séparant deux masses d'air froid qui sont entrées en contact par suite du processus d'occlusion.

CONT

On verra le passage d'un front occlus sur la province aujourd'hui. [Exemple entériné par le Comité d'uniformisation de la terminologie des bulletins d'avalanche.]

OBS

talweg : Cette graphie, puisée des Rectifications de l'orthographe recommandées par le Conseil supérieur de la langue française, est attestée dans le Petit Robert (2004).

OBS

front occlus : terme uniformisé par le Comité d'uniformisation de la terminologie des bulletins d'avalanche.

Key term(s)
  • thalweg d'air chaud en altitude

Spanish

Campo(s) temático(s)
  • Física de la atmósfera
DEF

Proyección sobre la superficie de la Tierra de una lengua de aire caliente en altura, como sucede en el proceso de oclusión de una depresión.

Save record 9

Record 10 2006-05-23

English

Subject field(s)
  • Sports and Casual Wear
CONT

The Terra Stretch Shirt has all the features expected from a multi-activity garment, including 2 large zipped chest pockets, a deep front zip with wind baffle and a collar lined with Beardguard water resistant tricot.

CONT

Fully featured foldaway hood with wired visor and volume adjuster and internal weather baffle.

CONT

2-way durable front zipper, weather baffle closure.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Vêtements de sport et de loisirs
OBS

Parka avec lien de serrage à la taille.

Spanish

Save record 10

Record 11 2006-03-18

English

Subject field(s)
  • Atmospheric Physics
DEF

An area of low pressure caused by very warm, dry air.

CONT

Heat lows or thermal troughs often build north along the coasts of California and Oregon in the summer. Thermal troughs can cause "east winds" in the Washington and Oregon Cascades. If however, a relatively strong disturbance in the upper atmosphere moves across the NW, it will force the thermal trough east of the Cascades. In most cases, a moderate to strong push of marine air will follow, along with strong, gusty, west winds along the east slopes of the Cascades. Gusty winds and thunderstorms can be associated with the passage of a thermal trough.

CONT

A front may have troughing along its length, but not all troughs are frontal! Indeed, not all troughs have ’weather’ associated with them in the cloud/rainfall sense. Lee troughs found downwind of a major range of hills/mountains are often cloudless, and thermal troughs forming over land during the day due to mesoscale heating may only be found by careful drawing of isobars : if the air is dry and/or stable, little significant cloud will be associated with this feature.

OBS

trough: A feature on a weather map where mean sea level pressure (or upper contour heights) are lower than surrounding areas of the atmosphere, with a ’V’ shape to the isobars/contours evident in the pattern. Often associated with unsettled/cloudy weather, but not always.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Physique de l'atmosphère
OBS

thalweg (s'écrit aussi talweg) - trough : Axe de basses pressions prolongeant une dépression. Les isobares sont en forme de V. Son passage est marqué par une brusque rotation du vent (grain).

OBS

talweg : Cette graphie, puisée des Rectifications de l'orthographe recommandées par le Conseil supérieur de la langue française, est attestée dans le Petit Robert (2004).

Spanish

Save record 11

Record 12 2004-11-18

English

Subject field(s)
  • Atmospheric Physics
CONT

A warm occluded front occurs when a cool front overtakes a warm front overlying a cold front. The primary difference is the location of the upper level front. The cold front is ahead of the surface occluded front. In this case the weather is similar to a warm front. The surface front trails the upper level front by about 300 km.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Physique de l'atmosphère
CONT

Un front occlus chaud a lieu lorsqu'un front frais pousse un front chaud qui était au-dessus d'un front froid. Ce front frais s'élève lui aussi au-dessus de la masse d'air plus froide, en forçant le front chaud à s'élever davantage. Dans ce cas, ce front-ci (le plus froid) est plus avancé que le front occlus au niveau de la surface, de l'ordre de 300 km en avant. On a alors un temps similaire à celui d'un front chaud.

CONT

Un front occlus se crée lorsqu'un front froid, plus rapide rejoint un front chaud dans la circulation de la perturbation. La masse d'air froid plus dense soulève la masse d'air chaud plus légère qui finit par ne plus être en contact avec le sol. Il se produit alors des chutes de pluies régulières et elles peuvent être importantes. [...] Il existe 2 types de coupe de front occlus : [...] La coupe de front occlus chaud [...] La coupe de front occlus froid.

Spanish

Save record 12

Record 13 2004-08-01

English

Subject field(s)
  • Atmospheric Physics
  • Air Transport
DEF

A front that is not moving.

CONT

When a warm or cold front stops moving, it becomes a stationary front. Once this boundary resumes its forward motion, it once again becomes a warm front or cold front. A stationary front is represented [on a weather map] by alternating blue and red lines with blue triangles pointing towards the warmer air and red semicircles pointing towards the colder air.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Physique de l'atmosphère
  • Transport aérien
DEF

Front dans lequel aucune des masses d'air en présence ne remplace l'autre.

OBS

Dans ce cas, les vents de surface ont tendance à souffler parallèlement à la zone frontale. La pente d'un front stationnaire est normalement faible, mais elle peut s'accentuer en fonction de la distribution des vents et des différences de densité.

Spanish

Campo(s) temático(s)
  • Física de la atmósfera
  • Transporte aéreo
Save record 13

Record 14 2004-05-13

English

Subject field(s)
  • Atmospheric Physics
DEF

... a swift-moving cold frontal passage in the southern Great Plains [of North America], marked by a dark, blue-black sky with strong wintery winds from the northwest or north and temperatures that may drop 20°F to 30°F in a few minutes.

OBS

The term "blue norther" is most commonly associated with Texas. Various other names for the same phenomenon exist over the central and southern Plains [California norther, etc. ]. There are also various theories as to the exact origin of the term. In general it is associated with a rapidly moving cold front(usually in the Autumn) that causes temperatures to drop quickly and that often brings with it precipitation and unsettled weather, followed by a period of blue skies and cold temperatures.

OBS

Some authors consider "blue norther" as a synonym of "Texas norther", others consider it as a related term. Compare to "Texas norther".

French

Domaine(s)
  • Physique de l'atmosphère
DEF

Vent fort et froid, venant du nord, dans diverses parties de l'hémisphère Nord.

OBS

Le Grand dictionnaire encyclopédique Larousse répertorie «northern» au lieu de «norther». Norther figure dans les dictionnaires spécialisés de météorologie.

OBS

northern : Phénomène relevé en Amérique du Nord (centre et sud-est des États-Unis et occasionnellement golfe du Mexique), qui correspond à l'arrivée d'air polaire continental aux latitudes subtropicales, voire intertropicales.

OBS

Il ne semble pas y avoir de correspondance française pour le terme «blue norther». Aussi, le terme générique «norther» semble être le meilleur équivalent. Cependant, René Héroux, météorologue à Environnement Canada, suggère d'utiliser le terme anglais avec une note explicative sur la provenance de ce terme.

Spanish

Save record 14

Record 15 2003-07-17

English

Subject field(s)
  • Air Navigation Aids
  • Tactical Operations (Air Forces)
CONT

LANTIRN consists of a navigation pod and a targeting pod integrated and mounted externally beneath the aircraft. The AN/AAQ-13 navigation pod provides high-speed penetration and precision attack on tactical targets at night and in adverse weather. The naviation pod also contains a terrain-following radar and a fixed infrared sensor, which provides a visual cue and input to the aircraft's flight control system, enabling it to maintain a preselected altitude above the terrain and avoid obstacles. This sensor displays an infrared image of the terrain in front of the aircraft, to the pilot, on a head-up display. The navigation pod enables the pilot to fly along the general contour of the terrain at high speed, using mountains, valleys and the cover of darkness to avoid detection.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Aides à la navigation aérienne
  • Opérations tactiques (Forces aériennes)

Spanish

Save record 15

Record 16 2000-02-25

English

Subject field(s)
  • Atmospheric, Climatic and Meteorological Phenomena
  • Hydrology and Hydrography
  • Climatology
DEF

Dark sky threatening a storm.

CONT

Foundry Day succeeds under threatening sky. Despite clouds and dark skies Saturday, the rain held off, making it an enjoyable day for all who attended the 11th annual Foundry Day Arts and Crafts Festival ...

CONT

The weather this year is completely confused... Saturday, just as the afternoon began to get busy, a front came through, quick and wild, with thunderstorms, heavy gusts, and rain drenching and thick. In front of the storm was a strange sky. I’ve never seen one like it before. There were fat smears of green, dark and dirty but clearly and dramatically green, mixed into the clouds, among long braids of grey and black. It was an ugly sky, bitter, bad mannered, resentful, mean. A sky like a swaggering thug looking for someone to hurt.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Phénomènes météorologiques, climatiques et atmosphériques
  • Hydrologie et hydrographie
  • Climatologie
CONT

Ciel noir. Ciel couvert, menaçant et particulièrement sombre.

Spanish

Save record 16

Record 17 1995-02-21

English

Subject field(s)
  • Atmospheric Physics
CONT

The gustnado has been accepted as a "type of tornado" but is not associated with the typical tornado characteristics. It is a brief, intense vortex that forms on the leading edge of severe gust fronts. Scud and debris or dirt may be seen but a condensation funnel is usually absent. They will last from a few seconds to a minute and are strong enough to cause minor damage. They are distinguished from a true tornado by their location under an advancing dark cloud bank ahead of the rain core. Although the air is rotating, the situation would group this event more appropriately with straight-line winds.

CONT

The leading edge of a gust front(or downburst) often creates an area of convergence which can lead to future thunderstorm growth; close monitoring of visible gust fronts becomes very important in forecsting areas of future storm development. Gust fronts from a line of cells, such as a squall line, can form an elongated area of divergence and convergence. These elongated areas or squall line gust fronts are important components to the squall line structure, and often times a producer of severe weather due to straight-line winds.

Key term(s)
  • straight line wind
  • straight line winds
  • straight-line wind

French

Domaine(s)
  • Physique de l'atmosphère
CONT

«gustnado» : On la considère comme un «type de tornade» mais elle n'a pas les caractéristiques habituelles de la tornade. C'est un tourbillon intense et de courte durée qui se forme sur la bordure antérieure d'un fort front de rafales. On peut voir des nuages en lambeaux et des débris ou de la poussière, mais rarement d'entonnoir de condensation. La «gustnado» dure de quelques secondes à une minute et peut causer des dégâts mineurs. Elle se distingue de la vraie tornade par sa place au-dessous d'un banc de nuages sombres qui approche, à l'avant du noyau de pluie. Même si l'air est en rotation, la situation porte à classer ce phénomène avec les vents rectilignes.

Spanish

Save record 17

Record 18 1992-12-31

English

Subject field(s)
  • Atmospheric, Climatic and Meteorological Phenomena
DEF

Small, shallow depression which forms mainly in winter over some high-latitude seas within a polar or arctic air mass.

CONT

When arctic-origin air in winter flows southward (northward in the southern hemisphere) across (relatively) warmer seas, strong surface heating acts both to enhance the degree of instability, and trigger vigorous moist convective towers. This is sufficient alone to give rise to heavy, wintry showers/cumulonimbus clusters etc., but often marked troughing, or even a closed circulation in the isobaric flow is found; the resultant low-level convergence/positive vorticity enhancement, plus the localised concentration of the latent heat energy released, enhances development within the system, and an intense (but synoptically small) area of rain, hail, sleet or snow & squally winds can result - a polar low (or polar depression or polar meso-cyclone in some texts).

CONT

What is a polar low? Part of a diverse group of mesoscale weather systems(polar meso-cyclones).... [There is] three types of polar meso-cyclones :-jet streak type,-arctic front type,-cold low type.

OBS

Polar mesocyclones: a term now used to encompass the whole ’family’ of disturbances resulting from arctic air flowing equatorward over progressively warmer seas; the term ’polar low’ is now often used only for ’extreme’ systems where gale or near gale-force winds are observed.

OBS

Its motion is approximately the same as the air stream in which it is embedded.

Key term(s)
  • polar meso cyclone

French

Domaine(s)
  • Phénomènes météorologiques, climatiques et atmosphériques
DEF

Petite dépression peu profonde qui se forme principalement en hiver dans une masse d'air polaire ou arctique située sur certaines mers des hautes latitudes.

OBS

Son mouvement est approximativement le même que celui du courant atmosphérique dans lequel elle se situe.

Spanish

Campo(s) temático(s)
  • Fenómenos meteorológicos, climáticos y atmosféricos
DEF

Depresión pequeña y poco profunda que se forma dentro de una masa de aire polar o ártico, especialmente en invierno, sobre los mares polares.

OBS

Se mueve siguiendo, aproximadamente, la dirección de la corriente de aire en que está inserta.

Save record 18

Record 19 1988-03-17

English

Subject field(s)
  • The Press (News and Journalism)
DEF

Space on either side of the masthead(name of the publication), or on the front page of a section, which can be sold for advertising. Sometimes used for weather, news, index or circulation figures.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Presse écrite
DEF

Petite case située à droite ou à gauche en haut de la page frontispice d'une section de journal.

Spanish

Save record 19

Record 20 1987-01-19

English

Subject field(s)
  • Aeroindustry
  • Measuring Instruments
  • Lasers and Masers
CONT

The laser(or lidar) velocimeter [lidar=light radar] operates in a fashion entirely analogous to that of the airborne Doppler weather radars likely soon to be available for detecting turbulence in storm cells. As with radars, the device detects air movements by observing the motion of particles suspended in the air and carried with it. The only significant difference is that a beam of coherent infrared radiation is used to scan ahead of the aircraft, instead of a beam(or series of pulses) of radio energy in the considerably longer-wavelength microwave band. The frequency of the back-scattered echoes or reflections undergoes Doppler shift detection by standard heterodyning techniques, which involve comparing the frequency of the reflected illumination with that of the original laser beam. Any reflecting object or material which has motion relative to the transmitter/receiver will cause a detectable shift in frequency, which can be isolated from the transmitter's own proper motion(over the ground) and thus yield a precise indication of the speed at which the air is moving several hundred metres in front of the aircraft. From this data, it is easy to compute what the air speed of the aircraft will be when it reaches that particular patch of air in a few seconds’ time [and hence detect possible turbulence ahead].

French

Domaine(s)
  • Constructions aéronautiques
  • Appareils de mesure
  • Masers et lasers
CONT

Le principe de fonctionnement du vélocimètre à laser (ou lidar) est exactement le même que celui des radars météorologiques Doppler de bord, qui doivent être mis en service prochainement pour la détection des turbulences dans les systèmes d'orages.

Spanish

Save record 20

Record 21 1982-02-17

English

Subject field(s)
  • Layout (Graphic Arts)
  • The Press (News and Journalism)
OBS

One of the boxes or spaces in the upper corners of the front page of a newspaper containing advertising of the paper itself or a weather forecast.

OBS

Non-functional ears.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Maquette et mise en page
  • Presse écrite
OBS

cadre vedette mal incorporé.

Spanish

Save record 21

Copyright notice for the TERMIUM Plus® data bank

© Public Services and Procurement Canada, 2025
TERMIUM Plus®, the Government of Canada's terminology and linguistic data bank
A product of the Translation Bureau

Display options

Change the order of display of the official languages of Canada
Option to display the non-official languages (Spanish or Portuguese)
Display definitions, contexts, etc., on records

Features

Language Portal of Canada

Access a collection of Canadian resources on all aspects of English and French, including quizzes.

Writing tools

The Language Portal’s writing tools have a new look! Easy to consult, they give you access to a wealth of information that will help you write better in English and French.

Glossaries and vocabularies

Access Translation Bureau glossaries and vocabularies.

Date Modified: