Backdoor Cold Fronts

by **Toot** 2012-06-10, 10:57 pm

This term is threw around very loosely and im not sure that there is an official definition. I know the term is used in other situations.. but my idea of a true backdoor cold front is when one is associated with a stronger high pressure system that has access to cold or colder air. It then pumps colder air into a warmer airmass in its clockwise flow from the north..the east... or the northeast.

In theory the cold front would pass thru in the same direction that the flow is from. Anyways ive been hearing this term quite often here lately and I cant find a bonified definition for it..so I figure it would be a good time to talk about it.

Anybody else have any thoughts about it?

by **Adam2014** 2012-06-11, 7:21 am

I thought a backdoor cold front wasn't really a cold front at all just a High Pressure system pumping down cold air. Like the East Apps Wedge that you see from time to time.

by Vanster67 2012-06-11, 8:05 am

Now come on fellers!! I can tell you what a backdoor cold-front is...
It is a cold-front that you slammed the front door on, so the cold-front sneaks around to come in thru your back door! rfl

Sorry, I could not help myself!

by **tennessee storm09** 2012-06-11, 11:48 am

Vanster67 wrote:Now come on fellers!! I can tell you what a backdoor cold-front is...
It is a cold-front that you slammed the front door on, so the cold-front sneaks around to come in thru your back door! Sorry, I could not help myself!

lol vann, thats a good one buddy... all joke aside. a back door front is actually still a cold front, only difference it comes in from the northeast besides the typical flow from the nw or west... it seems to happen more in the fall year... carry on friends. uh oh

by **jmundie** 2012-06-11, 3:12 pm

Right - a backdoor front is from the northeast. I think its basically the western edge of a trough retrograding towards the southwest. Its hard for that to happen down here, btu the northeast gets them all the time.

by **Toot** 2012-06-11, 6:27 pm

Adam2014 wrote:I thought a backdoor cold front wasn't really a cold front at all just a High Pressure system pumping down cold air. Like the East Apps Wedge that you see from time to time.

I think you're thinking of cold air damming (CAD) with the wedge. The wedge of colder air can happen even after the damming of cold air has ended. This happens alot on the lee side of the Apps and Rockies.

by **Adam2014** 2012-06-11, 6:38 pm

Yeah I was thinking of something different!

by **WxFreak** 2012-06-12, 9:01 am

Looks like ya'll pretty much got this one nailed. The Northeast/New England sees more of these than anyone else when relatively cool Atlantic maritime air moves in from the east or northeast and replaces warmer continental air. Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee can observe a back door front as well, even in summer, when a strong HP moves over New England and forces the front to the south and west. The further west you go in these states, the less likely you'll see one of these, simply because the front usually only "backdoors" so far before becoming stationary, or returning to the north and east as a warm front.