Here's a breakdown:
* Air Masses: Large bodies of air with relatively uniform temperature and humidity.
* Boundaries: The zones where different air masses meet.
* Weather Fronts: The transition zones between air masses with different properties. These are where weather changes occur.
Here's how it works:
1. Different Air Masses: Air masses can be classified based on their temperature (cold, warm) and humidity (dry, moist).
2. Meeting Points: When these air masses meet, they don't simply bend around each other. Instead, they collide and interact.
3. Front Formation: The interaction of these air masses leads to the formation of weather fronts.
Types of Fronts:
* Cold Fronts: A cold air mass advances into a warmer air mass. This can cause rapid temperature drops, strong winds, and thunderstorms.
* Warm Fronts: A warm air mass advances into a colder air mass. This often brings gradual warming, light rain or drizzle, and clouds.
* Stationary Fronts: Two air masses meet but neither is strong enough to advance. This can cause persistent clouds and rain.
* Occluded Fronts: A cold front overtakes a warm front, lifting warm air aloft. This can bring complex weather patterns.
So, to answer your question directly: Air masses don't "bend" at boundaries. They interact to form weather fronts, which then influence the weather.
