What is the general low pressure storm track in North America?

Question

If it were a low with a cold and warm front.....

Please provide the general compass direction.

Answer 1

The low pressure system you are talking about is the general North American mid-latitude cyclone. It contains multiple weather fronts, and it moves from West to East in some fashion. Its exact track depends upon how the jet stream is moving. Perfect zonal flow (perfect West to East movement) is rare, if it ever occurs. Usually there are rises and dips in jet stream, known as ridges (rises) and troughs (dips). The cold front is located at the trough axis, where the upper level winds shift from SW to NW. The warm front is located at the ridge axis, where the winds shift from NW to SW. As I stated before, the track is never exactly from West to East. However, it moves Northward and Southward because of the jet stream.