Reading a Weather Map

You need this page & weather maps!

What Does It All Mean?

The

H stands for a

High Pressure System

This usually means CLEAR

WEATHER.The

L stands for a Low Pressure

SystemThis usually

means STORMY weather.

Large areas of air that have the same weather, temperature, and humidity.

Weather changes occur as air masses move and interact.

What are Air Masses????

A front is the boundary between two air masses.

Fronts bring changes in the weather. Because of the wind patterns, they generally move from west to east in the US.

Fronts are named for the air that is behind them.

What are Fronts???

Cold dense air pushes warm air out of the way.

Cold fronts move very quickly and bring short periods of rain/thunderstorms.

Lower temperatures are behind the front.

SYMBOL – the direction of the “arrows” points towards the direction the front is MOVING.

Cold Front

Cold Front Diagram

On Weather MapHow can you tell which direction the front is

moving from the map?

Cold Fron

t

Front

Awesome Cold Front Time Lapse! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NoPXm7d5Tc

Warm air moves up the cold front as it slowly displaces the cold air.

Warm fronts move slowly and can bring many days of steady precipitation.

Higher temperatures are behind the front.

SYMBOL – direction of semicircles is the direction the front is moving.

Warm Front

Warm

Front

On Weather MapHow can you tell which direction the front is

moving from the map?

Fron

t

The air from the warm front and cold front meet, but do not move.

These fronts have weather similar to warm fronts.

SYMBOL – warm and cold air masses are moving in opposite directions, thus making a stationary condition

Stationary Front

Stationary FrontWhere the warm and

cool air meet, water vapor in the warm air condenses into rain,

snow, fog, or clouds.

Let’s see it on the map!

Stationary Front

Cold Front

Warm Front

http://www.wunderground.com/maps/#?type=Fronts Click for Current Weather Map!

Weather Maps Will Usually Have Legends…

READ THEM!

You Might Also See Maps Using Radar…

What’s Our Current Local Weather Map?

http://www.wunderground.com/maps/#?type=Fronts

Archived National Weather Maps for Comparison: http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/noaa/noaa_archive.php?lang=english Predict the Weather! www.edheads.org

Credits: http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-wind.htm

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anemometer_Barani_anim_120x120.gif

http://www.carlroth.com