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air mass
noun
: a body of air extending hundreds or thousands of miles horizontally and sometimes as high as the stratosphere and maintaining as it travels nearly uniform conditions of temperature and humidity at any given level
Examples of air mass in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Meteorologists project that the rain will continue into the weekend for residents between San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose, with the chance for thunderstorms increasing to 25-35% as the polar air mass continues to destabilize the atmosphere throughout the day.
—Katie Lauer, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
Crappie Fishing in the Winter During the hard-water season, everyone loves to wake up to an unseasonably warm air mass, near normal barometer, light wind, and bearable precipitation.
—Don Wirth, Field & Stream, 4 Apr. 2024
Ice acts as a barrier preventing the air mass from soaking up moisture.
—Sophie Carson, Journal Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2024
Highs are only in the upper 40s to low 50s as another very dry air mass moves into the area.
—Matt Rogers, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024
Lows spin counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, meaning southerly winds ahead of the system were pumping north a warm, humid air mass directly from the Gulf of Mexico.
—Naomi Schanen, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024
This will bring a warm, mild air mass from the south central plains to Wisconsin.
—Drew Dawson, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024
Another worry is that lack of ice cover leaves the lakes more prone to lake-effect snow, which requires warm open water and a cold, dry air mass.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024
Confidence: Medium-High Tomorrow night: Precipitation is likely to arrive a little between 9 p.m. and midnight, and could start as rain but should quickly cool the air mass and change over to snow.
—David Streit, Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'air mass.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1882, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near air mass
Cite this Entry
“Air mass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/air%20mass. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
Kids Definition
air mass
noun
: a body of air extending hundreds or thousands of miles sideways and sometimes as high as the stratosphere and having nearly the same conditions of temperature and humidity at any single level
More from Merriam-Webster on air mass
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about air mass
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