ATPL Canadian Meteorology, Radio Aids to Navigation, and Flight Planning (SAMRA) Practice Test

During the passage of a cold front, the typical change in pressure involves an initial decrease followed by a rise. This pattern occurs due to the dynamics of the cold front itself.

As the cold front approaches, the warm air ahead of it is pushed upward, creating an area of lower pressure. This results in a decrease in atmospheric pressure as the front nears. Once the cold front passes, the colder, denser air replaces the rising warm air, leading to a stabilization of the atmosphere and eventually, a rise in pressure. Therefore, the correct answer reflects this sequence of events where pressure first drops and then begins to increase after the front has passed.

In contrast, options that state pressure remains constant or experiences a continual drop do not accurately capture the typical behavior observed in a cold front scenario. Likewise, a gradual increase does not align with the sharp changes usually associated with the passage of a front.