what do the line on a weather map mean??

Question

i have to do a project on weather maps and i have no idea what the lines mean, can anyone help? oh the lines are long and make circleish shapes. i think they have something to do with the wind.

Answer 1

Hi Torie
The Lines that you are discribing are called Isobars but there is more to just Isobars on a weather map.
Weather Maps is in the catagorie of Synoptic Meteorology
If you go to this link you will learn every thing you need to know
about weather maps. You can even get a cirtificate to show your class and hang on your wall

Specificaly Weather Maps
http://www.srh.weather.gov/srh/jetstream/synoptic/wxmaps.htm

For the whole lesson on Synoptic Metorology start here
http://www.srh.weather.gov/srh/jetstream/synoptic/synoptic_intro.htm

And for all online courses for weather from the National Weather Service go here
http://www.srh.weather.gov/srh/jetstream/matrix.htm

If you are interested you can even have your teacher arange a visit to your local weather office.

Here is the link, to find your local office and contact person just click on your state
http://www.stormready.noaa.gov/contact.htm

Answer 2

The old professor needs to add something here the others forgot. To define what an isobar is. It is a line on a weather map that connects points of equal barometric pressure. The closer the lines are, the steeper the pressure gradient...or the greater the pressure changes over a shorter distance. This makes the air move faster as it goes from areas of high pressure into areas of low pressure. Just like a hill, the steeper the grade, the faster the little red wagon goes down it.

Answer 3

The lines are called "isobars"....
They delineate areas of changing barometric pressure,
They are useful in guessing where weather systems will move, because they, like most other things in nature, follow the path of least resistance. High pressure areas tend to ward off changes in weather patterns, while low pressure areas allow systems to move through easier. This is why it is important to have a map of barometric pressure to help predict the movement of various weather systems.

Answer 4

Some maps have temperature and wind field plots...

http://www.stuffintheair.com/wunderground-weather.html

...like the ones you see on Weather underground.

Answer 5

by the color of it you would be describing an occluded front but ive never seen a straight occluded front theyre usually curved. But if it was an occluded front then that would mean that the front is a mature wave and in the late stages of its life cycle and would be undergoing frontolysis or the ending of a front soon.

Answer 6

They are called Isobars, my dear. Another fact: the closer they are on a weather map, the windier it is at that particular location.

Good luck on your project! :-D

Answer 7

Look up meteorology. What you are looking at is weather from. I don't remember if it is a warm or cold front.

Here is one site:

http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/home.rxml

There are many other hits when you do the search.

Good luck...