Sea surface temperature influence on a winter cold front position and propagation: air–sea interactions of the ‘Nortes’ winds in the Gulf of Mexico

A high‐resolution, regional atmospheric model with different sea surface temperature (SST) boundary conditions (BC) is used to examine the air–sea interactions of the winter cold fronts (CF) advancing over the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Comparison with oceanic‐buoy 10‐m wind, 2 m air temperature (AIR.2 m), sea level pressure (SLP) and SST reveals good agreement with observations. The CF propagation speed was significantly affected by the SST: higher SST produced faster CF traveling speeds. Using a 1‐D ocean mixed layer model as BC reduced the air–sea fluxes and the CF propagated slower but in accordance with the reanalysis data; representing an improvement in the numerical modeling of the CF propagation and airmass modification over the GoM.