An air mass over land. Usually a continental air mass (indicated by the simple letter "c") is relatively dry. (also see Tropical Air Mass)

An air mass that forms over land, making it generally dry. It may be warm or cold.

An air mass with continental characteristics. It is a secondary characteristic of an air mass classification, signified by the small "c" before the primary characteristic, which is based on source region. For example, cP is an air mass that is continental polar in nature.