For locations in the northern mid-latitudes, weather systems usually move from west to east. Usually, but not always.
A backdoor cold front is a weather boundary that moves south or southwest, bringing cool air from the east or northeast. Unlike typical cold fronts that push west to east, it arrives from an atypical direction—entering through the "back door." Source Credit: Backdoor cold front (Wikipedia).
On 12 July 2026, weather radar showed a backdoor cold front located over the mid-Atlantic United States.
RadarScope (app) animation beginning at 12:00 noon EDT.
Notice the invisible boundary between precipitation echoes moving from east-to-west and west-to-east -- that's the "backdoor" cold front!
RadarScope (app) animation beginning at 2:18 PM EDT.
Related Resources
- RadarScope app - available for both Apple iOS and Android operating systems
- backdoor cold front - AMS Glossary of Meteorology
- "Backdoor" Cold Front - National Weather Service Glossary
Copyright © 2026 by Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
