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When the cold air rushes downhill, it creates a mountain wave along the boundary between the colder, denser air masses and the warmer, more buoyant air masses. The lower layer of colder air is squeezed into a smaller volume and then accelerates out of its confines, rushing downward along the steep slopes. It breaks, like a big wave of water that collapses and creases onto the shore, creating a lot of turbulence.
© Eric S. Taylor, WHOI Graphic Services