Northern Hemisphere Warm Fronts Are Less Efficient at Precipitating Ice Than Their Southern Hemisphere Counterparts

Abstract Using satellite observations, ice water path (IWP), liquid water path (LWP), and surface precipitation across warm frontal regions are examined in the Northern (NH) and Southern (SH) Hemispheres, accounting for the life stages and characteristics of extratropical cyclones (ETCs). Focusing only on oceanic ETCs over a 4‐year period, composite transects of the observations reveal that most hemispheric differences in warm frontal IWP, LWP, and precipitation align with variations in precipitable water, cyclone strength, and storm maturity. However, for similar cyclone strength and environmental moisture, NH warm fronts during early development contain more ice but are less efficient at precipitating than those in the SH. Higher dust concentrations in NH might explain the greater ice amounts, while higher sea‐salt concentrations in SH might explain the greater precipitation efficiency in their respective warm frontal regions.