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In meteorology, a low-pressure area, low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. It is the opposite of a high-pressure area . Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with inclement weather (such as cloudy, windy, with possible rain or storms), [ 1 ] while high-pressure areas are ...
Map of pressure systems across North America. A pressure system is a peak or lull in the sea level pressure distribution, a feature of synoptic-scale weather.The surface pressure at sea level varies minimally, with the lowest value measured 87 kilopascals (26 inHg) and the highest recorded 108.57 kilopascals (32.06 inHg).
A surface weather analysis for the United States on October 21, 2006. By that time, Tropical Storm Paul was active (Paul later became a hurricane). Surface weather analysis is a special type of weather map that provides a view of weather elements over a geographical area at a specified time based on information from ground-based weather stations.
A trough is an elongated region of relatively low atmospheric pressure without a closed isobaric contour that would define it as a low pressure area. Since low pressure implies a low height on a pressure surface, troughs and ridges refer to features in an identical sense as those on a topographic map. Troughs may be at the surface, or aloft, at ...
Such maps have been in use since the mid-19th century and are used for research and weather forecasting purposes. Maps using isotherms show temperature gradients, [2] which can help locate weather fronts. Isotach maps, analyzing lines of equal wind speed, [3] on a constant pressure surface of 300 or 250 hPa show where the jet stream is located.
An L represents low pressure, which frequently accompanies precipitation. Various symbols are used not just for frontal zones and other surface boundaries on weather maps, but also to depict the present weather at various locations on the weather map. Areas of precipitation help determine the frontal type and location.
An example of a convergence zone is the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), a low pressure area which girdles the Earth at the Equator. [3] Another example is the South Pacific convergence zone that extends from the western Pacific Ocean toward French Polynesia. The ITCZ shifts with the tilt of the earth, coinciding with the changing of seasons.
The rising air creates a low pressure zone near the equator. As the air moves poleward, it cools, becomes denser, and descends at about the 30th parallel, creating a high-pressure area. The descended air then travels toward the equator along the surface, replacing the air that rose from the equatorial zone, closing the loop of the Hadley cell. [3]