Weather Map Encoding Scheme

Explains how to understand some of the colors and figures found on standard meteorological maps. i.e. Surface maps, upper air maps, and radar summary charts.

Surface:

Blue                 High Pressure
Blue                 Cold Fronts
Blue                 Cold Frontogenesis and frontolysis
Red                  Low Pressure
Red                  Warm Fronts
Red                  Warm Frontogenesis and frontolysis
Red/Blue             Stationary Fronts
Purple               Occluded Fronts
Purple               Occluded frontolysis
Purple               Squall Lines
Black                Trough
Green                Shade precipitation areal coverage
Yellow               Stations with vision obstructions

850 mb and 700 mb analysis:

Blue                 High geopotential centers
Blue                 Height rises in +50 meter intervals
Red                  Low geopotential centers
Red                  Hight falls in -50 meter intervals
Black                Troughs or Waves
Yellow               A significant isotherm
Orange               Arrows indicating winds >= 30 kts
Green                Shade areas of dewpoint depressions of 5 degrees C or less

500 mb analysis:

Blue                 High geopotential centers
Blue                 Height rises in +50 meter intervals
Red                  Low geopotential centers
Red                  Height falls in -50 meter intervals
Black                Troughs
Yellow               A significant isotherm
Orange               Arrows indicating winds >= 50 kts
Green                Shade areas of dewpoint depressions of 5 degrees C or less

300 mb and 200 mb analysis:

Purple               Outline jet streams starting at 70 kts in 20 kt intervals
Purple               Actual value of wind maximum
Orange               Arrow indicating jet maximum

500 mb Hemispheric:

Blue                 534 dm geopotential
Black                570 dm geopotential

Radar Chart:

Green                Outline all Level 1
Yellow               Outline all Level 3
Red                  Outline and shade all Level 5