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How to Read a Weather Map

Co-authored by Bess Ruff, MA
Last Updated: November 28, 2022 References

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Knowing how to read a weather map can help you understand the weather and know
what to expect. For example, high pressure (H) areas will have clear skies, while low
pressure (L) areas can be stormy. Blue "cold front" lines bring rain and wind in the
direction the triangular marks point. Red "warm front" lines bring brief rain followed by
warming in the direction of the semi-circles. If you'd like to learn more about reading
weather maps, keep on reading!

Part 1 of 4:
1 Learning the Basics of Weather Maps
 Understand general concepts of precipitation. What most people are
1 concerned with is precipitation, which, in meteorology (the study of weather), is
any form of water that falls onto the Earth's surface. Forms of precipitation include
rain, hail, snow, and sleet.

Recognize what a high pressure system is. A major aspect of weather

2 interpretation involves being able to understand the actions caused by differences
in air pressure. High pressure implies dry weather. A high pressure system is an air
mass that contains denser air because its air is cooler and/or dryer than the
surrounding air. Thus, its heavier air falls downward and away from the pressure
system's center, like water being poured onto the ground.[1]

With high pressure systems, the weather will tend to become clear or clearing.

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Understand what a low pressure system is. Low pressure is usually associated
3 with humid air and in some cases, precipitation. A low pressure system is an air
mass that has less dense air because its air is moister and/or warmer. Surrounding air
draws inward toward the low system's center as the lighter air balloons upward, often
causing clouds or precipitation because that moist air cools as it rises.[2]

You see this effect when air's invisible water vapor is forced to condense into
droplets when it contacts the outside of a cold glass). But droplets won't form if the
glass is only slightly cool ...thus, rising low pressure air will only produce rain if it
gets up where the air is cool enough to condense the water vapor into droplets too
heavy to be kept aloft by the rising air. (Clouds are simply water droplets that are
small enough to be kept aloft).
With very low pressure systems, storms are on the way (if they aren't there
already). Clouds begin to form and move across the sky -thunderhead clouds
forming when moist air is thrust very high. Sometimes tornadoes form when very
high pressure air collides with very warm, moist low pressure air.

Study a weather map. Watch out for one on the TV news, online, or in your local
 newspaper. (Other sources may include magazines and books, but they may not
4 be current.) Newspapers are a convenient method to find a weather map as they
are cheap, reliable, and can be cut apart so you can carry them with you while learning
to interpret the symbols.

Analyze a small portion of your weather map. If possible, find a map covering
5 a smaller area – these can be easier to interpret. Focusing on a larger scale may
be difficult for a beginner. On the map, notice the location, lines, arrows, patterns,
colors, and numbers. Every sign counts and all are different.
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Part 2 of 4:
2 Reading the Air Pressure
 Understand what air pressure measures. This is the weight or pressure the air
1 exerts on the ground and is measured in millibars. It is important to be able to
read air pressure because pressure systems are associated with certain weather
patterns.[3]

The average air pressure system measures 1013 mb (29.92 inches of mercury).
A typical strong high pressure system measures around 1030 mb (30.42 inches of
mercury).
A typical low pressure system measures around 1000 mb (29.54 inches of
mercury.

AirPressureSymbols

1ColdFront 2WarmFront

3OccludedFront
4StationaryFront

L5LowPressure
H6HighPressure

ReadaWeatherMap
 Learn the air pressure symbols. To read air pressure on a surface analysis
2 weather map, check for isobars (iso = equal, bar = pressure) – plain, curved lines
that indicate areas of equal air pressure. Isobars play a major role in determining the
speed and direction of wind.

When the isobars form concentric closed (but not always round) circles, the
smallest circle in the center indicates a pressure center. This can be either a high-
pressure system (depicted by an "H" in English, "A" in Spanish) or a low pressure
system (depicted by an "L" in English, "B" in Spanish).[4]
Air does not flow "down" pressure gradients; it flows "around" them due to the
Coriolis effect (Earth spinning). Hence, wind direction is indicated by the isobars,
counterclockwise around lows (cyclonic flow) and clockwise around highs
(anticyclonic) in the northern hemisphere, thus creating wind. The closer the
isobars are to one another, the stronger the winds.

UnderstandingOfWeatherMap

LowPressureSystem

Ho ReadaWeatherМар
 Learn how to interpret a Low Pressure System (Cyclone). These storms are
3 characterized by increased cloudiness, winds, temperatures, and chance of
precipitation. They are represented on a weather map by isobars that are close
together with arrows traveling clockwise (Southern Hemisphere) or counter-clockwise
(Northern Hemisphere), usually with a "T" in the middle isobar, which forms a round
circle (the letter can vary, however, depending on the language the weather report is
presented in).

Radar imagery can show low-pressure systems. Tropical cyclones (South Pacific)
are also named hurricanes around America or typhoons in coastal Asia.

UnderstandingOfWeatherMap

HighPressureSystem

1031

wiki ReadaWeatherМар

Learn how to interpret a High Pressure System. These conditions indicate

4 clear, calm weather with reduced chance of precipitation. Drier air usually results
in a greater range of high and low temperatures.[5]
 They are represented on a weather map as isobars with an "H" in the middle
isobar and arrows showing which direction the wind is flowing (clockwise in
Northern Hemisphere, counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere). Like
cyclones, they can also be shown with radar imagery.

Part 3 of 4:
3 Interpreting the Types of Fronts

UnderstandingWeatherMap

ColdFront
WarmFront

ReadaWeatherMap

Observe the types and movement of fronts. These mark the boundary between
1 warmer air on one side and colder air on the other. If you are close to a front and
you know the front is moving towards you, you can expect a change in weather (e.g.
cloud formation, precipitation, thunderstorms, and wind) when the front boundary
passes over you. Mountains and large bodies of water can distort its path.[6]

On a weather map, you will notice some lines that have semi-circles or triangles
 on either side, or both. These indicate the boundaries for various types of fronts.

UnderstandingOfWeatherMap

ColdFront

HowtoReadaWeatherМар

Analyze a Cold front. With these weather patterns, rainfall can be torrential and
2 wind speeds can be high. Blue lines with triangles on one side represents cold
fronts on weather maps. The direction the triangles point is the direction in which the
cold front is moving.[7]
 Analyze a Warm front. These often bring a gradual increase in rainfall as the
3 front approaches, followed by prompt clearing and warming after the front passes.
If the warm air mass is unstable, the weather might be characterized by prolonged
thunderstorms.

A red line with semi-circles on one side represents warm fronts. The side the
semi-circles are on represent the direction in which the warm front is heading.

UnderstandingOfWeatherMap

OccludedFront

toReadaWeatherMap
 Study an Occluded front. These are formed when a cold front overtakes a warm
4 front. They are associated with various weather events (possibly thunderstorms)
depending on whether it is a warm or cold occlusion. The passing of an occluded front
usually brings drier air (lowered dew point).[8]

A purple line with semi-circles and triangles both on the same side represents
occluded fronts. Whichever side they're on is the direction the occluded front is
going.

UnderstandingOfWeatherMap

StationaryFront

ReadaWeatherMap

Analyze a Stationary front. These indicate a non-moving boundary between two

5 different air masses. These fronts have long continuous rainy periods that linger
for extended periods in one area and move in waves. A semi-circle bordering one side
and triangles along the opposite side represents that the front is not moving in any
direction.

Part 4 of 4:
4 Interpreting Other Weather Map Symbols

Wind Cloud
Speed Cover
Weather Symbol (mph) Symbol Symbol

1-4
4Drizzle
5-8
Fog
9.14
Ф
Hail A
A 15-20 20-30
Haze Оо 21-25
Rain • 26-31 40

V 32-37
Shower
50

Sleet A 38-43

44-49 60
Smoke m 50-54
83E

Snow 55-60 70-80

Thunderstorm
61-66
90
0
67-71
Huricane 7277 100

wikiHow ReadaWeatherMap

Read the station models at each point of observation. If your weather map
1 has station models, each one will plot the temperature, dew-point, wind, sea level
pressure, pressure tendency, and ongoing weather with a series of symbols.[9]

Temperature is generally recorded in Celsius degrees and rainfall is recorded in

millimeters. In the US, temperatures are in Fahrenheit and rainfall is measured in
inches.
Cloud cover is indicated by the circle in the middle; the extent to which it is filled
indicates the degree to which the sky is overcast.
 Study the lines on the weather map. There are many other lines on weather
2 maps. Two of the most important kinds of lines indicate isotherms and isotachs.

Isotherms – These are lines on a weather map that connect points through which
the isotherm passes have the same temperature.
Isotachs – These are lines on a weather map that connect points where the
isotach passes have the same wind speed.
 Analyze the pressure gradient. A number on the isobars, such as "1008", is the
3 pressure (in millibars) along that line. The distance between isobars is referred to
as the pressure gradient. A large change in pressure over a short distance (i.e. close
isobars) indicates strong winds.
 Analyze wind strength. Wind barbs point in the direction of the wind. Lines or
4 triangles coming off the main line at an angle indicate wind strength: 50 knots for
every triangle, 10 knots for every full line, 5 knots for every half line.[10]

Community Q&A

Question

What do the white lines mean on the weather map?

Community Answer

The white lines indicate isobars. The closer together they are, the stronger the wind will
be.

Question

What point do weather forecasts use for wind direction?

Community Answer

Wind direction is indicated by the direction from which it originates. For example, a
southerly wind blows from the south to the north.

Question

What do the lines making a circle around the low pressure area indicate?

Community Answer

This means that every location on that line is at the same pressure (isobar). These lines
are closer together and range in pressure, indicating a higher wind in that region. The
wind would be going into the low pressure areas and coming out from the high pressure
ones.
See more answers

Tips

Isobars can be bent or kinked by high landmarks such as mountains.

Don't be put off by the apparent complexity of reading a weather map. Reading these
is a valuable skill not to be reckoned with.

If you are further interested in weather systems and features, you might like to
consider joining a local meteorological society.

Show More

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References

1. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z89h7yc
2. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z89h7yc
3. ↑ https://media.bom.gov.au/social/blog/2391/the-art-of-the-chart-how-to-read-a-
weather-map/
4. ↑ https://scijinks.gov/weather-map/
5. ↑ https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/maps-and-charts/surface-pressure/#?
tab=surfacePressureColour&fcTime=1461798000
6. ↑ https://media.bom.gov.au/social/blog/2391/the-art-of-the-chart-how-to-read-a-
weather-map/
7. ↑ http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/html/fntcodes2.shtml
8. ↑ http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/html/fntcodes2.shtml
9. ↑ https://media.bom.gov.au/social/blog/2391/the-art-of-the-chart-how-to-read-a-
weather-map/

More References (1)

About This Article

Co-authored by:
Bess Ruff, MA
Environmental Scientist

This article was co-authored by Bess Ruff, MA. Bess Ruff is a Geography PhD student at Florida
State University. She received her MA in Environmental Science and Management from the
University of California, Santa Barbara in 2016. She has conducted survey work for marine spatial
planning projects in the Caribbean and provided research support as a graduate fellow for the
Sustainable Fisheries Group. This article has been viewed 914,374 times.

Co-authors: 122
Updated: November 28, 2022
Views: 914,374
Article Rating: 71% - 99 votes

Categories: Featured Articles | Meteorology

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How to Read a Weather Map

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