Mid-latitude cyclones, also called extratropical cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Mid-latitude cyclones are capable of producing anything from cloudiness and mild showers to severe gales, thunderstorms, blizzards, and tornadoes. These types of cyclones are defined as large scale (synoptic) low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth. In contrast with tropical cyclones, mid-latitude cyclones produce rapid changes in temperature and dew point along broad lines, called weather fronts, about the center of the cyclone.