Temperature Inversion

In meteorology, an increase of air temperature with altitude. Such an increase is a reversal of the normal temperature condition of the troposphere, where temperature usually decreases with altitude.

Inversions play an important role in determining cloud forms, precipitation, and visibility. An inversion acts as a lid, preventing the upward movement of the air below it. Where a pronounced inversion is present at a low level, convective clouds cannot grow high enough to produce showers and, at the same time, visibility may be greatly reduced by trapped pollutants (&see; smog). Because the air near the base of the inversion is cool, fog is frequently present there.