1 Lesson 04: Weather Maps and Symbols Page

2 Weather Maps Shows the weather conditions close to ground Give us an idea of: – Type of precipitation – Air Temperature – Position of High and Low pressures – Weather Fronts – Jet Stream

3 Weather Symbols Weather information is written down in the form of symbols Standard symbols used for different weather conditions.

4 Weather Symbols: Pressure Systems Low Pressure – Unstable stormy weather – Warm, light, moist air – Air rises and cools – Moisture released to form clouds, rain, snow, etc.

5 Weather Symbols: Pressure Systems High Pressure – Usually means fair (clear) weather – Heavy cool air that cannot rise – Clouds cannot form

6 Weather Symbols: Air Temperature Air Temperature – Use a color scale – Color indicates temperature in region – Temperature is measured in 0 C

7 Weather Symbols: Weather Conditions Snow Rain Freezing rain Thunderstorm

8 Weather Symbols: Fronts Warm Front Cold Front Stationary Front Occluded Front

9 Weather Symbols: Jet Stream Very narrow stream of fast moving air Caused by collision of air masses at higher altitude Air north of jet stream from polar, therefore cooler Air south of jet stream from tropical, therefore warmer

10 Weather Symbols: Map Newfoundland Labrador Coastal British Columbia Florida

11 Weather Symbols: Map Newfoundland A mix of snow and rain Temperatures between 0 and 10oC

12 Weather Symbols: Map Labrador High pressure system. Clear skies Temperatures ranging from 10 in southern areas to -10 in the North

13 Weather Symbols: Map Coastal British Columbia Southern part of BC a High giving clear sky and temperatures up in the 20's. Northern BC an occluded front, experiencing showers and cooler temperatures between 0 in the North and 20 in the south.

14 Weather Symbols: Map Florida Quite stable with temperatures in the 20's. However, it looks like a cold front is making its way to Florida which will give thundershowers to the area tomorrow.