Frontal waves form when a disturbance occurs along a cold front, causing it to kink.
According to weather information, a frontal wave is a disturbance that develops along a cold front. This disturbance causes the cold front to bend or kink, delaying its normal progression. Weather charts depict this phenomenon as a small segment of warm front appearing along a longer cold front.
In essence:
- A cold front is disrupted.
- A kink forms in the front.
- This creates a frontal wave, shown as a small warm front section along the cold front on weather charts.