How to Interpret Weather Maps
- 1). Anticipate symbols for spheres of high and low pressure. Look for a capital blue "H" signifying high air pressure and a take note of the capital red "L" depicting low air pressure. Moderate weather suitable for outdoor activities come pronounced with high pressure, whereas low pressure indicates cloud cover and precipitation, beckoning indoor activity.
- 2). Substantiate incoming or outgoing warm and cold fronts. Cold fronts are represented by the color blue, designating cold air masses. Warm fronts on the other hand, are shown in red to depict a mass of warm air. A boundary between the two masses in meteorology refers to a weather front, signaling a change in atmospheric conditions to include the direction and speed of wind, rise or fall of temperatures and changes in precipitation.
- 3). Pay attention to occlusions (a composite front when a mass of cold air envelops a mass of warm air, forcing it upward) designated by the color purple, giving the appearance of a joint warm and cold front symbol. Expect a change of temperature when you see this representation.
- 4). Keep vigilant for stationary fronts, signifying a stagnant mass of air, consistent temperatures and weather conditions.
- 5). Monitor the possibility for precipitation. Heavy black dots signify rain, while snowflakes indicate winter conditions. The more dots or snowflakes revealed, the more intense the precipitation. Commas usually represent light drizzle, while combined dots and snowflakes point to mixed precipitation.
- 6). On the lower right-hand corner of your weather map is a legend detailing other symbols to indicate hazardous conditions such as freezing rain, ice, dust storms or possible hurricanes, just to name a few. These could prove climacteric in preparing for a long-winter storm or other conditions that may prompt evacuation.
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