Table of Contents
How do you read wind barbs?
The staff part of a wind barb shows wind direction. The dot end of the staff is where the wind is blowing to, while the top of the staff shows the direction from which the wind is coming. The top row of wind barbs in the figure to the right all indicate a north wind.
Which way do wind barbs point?
Wind barbs point in the direction “from” which the wind is blowing. In the case of the diagram below, the orientation of the wind barb indicates winds from the Northeast.
What does a single flag triangle or pennant on a wind barb indicate?
They are additive. For example, if there were two full barbs and one half barb, the wind speed would be (20+20+10=) 50 km/h. When triangles or flags appear, beware, they represent 100 km/h each (three flags would mean 300 km/h winds!).
What do wind symbols mean?
Wind speed. A combination of long/short barbs and pennants indicate the speed of the wind in station weather plots rounded to the nearest 5 knots. Calm wind is indicated by a large circle drawn around the skycover symbol. One long barb is used to indicate each 10 knots with the short barb representing 5 knots.
What do the symbols on weather maps mean?
The large letters (Blue H’s and red L’s) on weather maps indicate high- and low-pressure centers. They mark where the air pressure is highest and lowest relative to the surrounding air and are often labeled with a three- or four-digit pressure reading in millibars.
What do wind arrows mean?
The arrows indicate the direction the wind is going based on North being at the top of the screen and West being at the left. This is opposite of what a typical weather vane shows, because they point into the wind, rather than the direction it is headed. Take a “Northerly” wind, for example.
What are the lines on a weather map?
Isobars: lines of constant pressure. A line drawn on a weather map connecting points of equal pressure is called an “isobar”. Isobars are generated from mean sea-level pressure reports and are given in millibars.