When a warm front passes, what happens to the dew point?

When a warm front passes, the dew point tends to remain steady for a period of time. A warm front occurs when warm, moist air advances over cooler, denser air, causing cloud formation and precipitation. As the warm air rises, it cools and condenses, leading to an increase in humidity. However, since the temperature is also increasing with the warm front's arrival, the dew point, which indicates the amount of moisture in the air, does not experience a dramatic spike or drop. Instead, it stabilizes as the incoming air mass is typically more humid, but not excessively so, leading to relatively steady dew point readings.

In contrast to the other options, a sharp increase or decrease in dew point would indicate a significant change in moisture level that is not characteristic of the transition associated with warm fronts. Variables such as atmospheric pressure changes and the mixing of air masses can influence dew point; however, during the passage of a warm front, the effects tend to be gradual rather than sudden or highly variable.