Weather Map Symbols

C
Along the center, the cloud types are indicated. The top symbol is the high-level cloud type followed by the At the upper right is the

A B
In the upper left, the temperature
is plotted in Fahrenheit. In this
example, the temperature is 77°F.
On the second row, the far-left
C
mid-level cloud type. The lowest symbol represents low-level cloud over a number which tells the height of atmospheric pressure reduced to
the base of that cloud (in hundreds of feet) In this example, the high level cloud is Cirrus, the mid-level mean sea level in millibars (mb)
cloud is Altocumulus and the low-level clouds is a cumulonimbus with a base height of 2000 feet. to the nearest tenth with the
leading 9 or 10 omitted. In this
case the pressure would be
3 999.8 mb. If the pressure was

D
Ci Dense Ci Dense Ci Ci Cs below Cs above Overcast Cs not Cc
number is the visibility in miles. In invading
plotted as 024 it would be 1002.4
from Cb 45° 45°; not Cs ovcercast; not
this example, the visibility is sky overcast increasing
mb. When trying to determine
five miles. whether to add a 9 or 10 use the
number that will give you a value

The number at the lower left is the

2 As Dense As Ac; semi- Ac Standing Ac invading Ac from Cu Ac with Ac Ac of
closest to 1000 mb.

H
a/o Ns transparent Lenticularis sky As / Ns congestus chaotic sky Next to the visibility is the present

E
dew point temperature. The dew
weather symbol. There 95
point temperature is the
symbols which represent the
temperature the air would have to
weather that is either presently
cool to become saturated, or in
other words reach a relative
1 Cu Moderate Cu Cb no anvil Sc from Cu Sc NOT St Stfra or Cu ans Sc Cb w/anvil occurring or has ended within the
from Cu CuFra of different previous hour. In this example, a
humidity of 100%. bad weather heights light rain shower was occurring at
the time of the observation.

The circle symbol in the center represents the amount of total cloud cover These lines indicate wind direction and speed

F
This number and symbol tell how

G
Calm wind

J
reported in eighths. This cloud cover includes all low, middle, and high rounded to the nearest 5 knots. The longest line, much the pressure has changed
5 knots
level clouds. extending from the sky cover plot, points in the (in tenths of millibars) in the past
direction FROM which that wind is blowing. Thus, 15 knots three hours and the trend in the
No 1/8th 2/8th 3/8th 4/8th 5/8th 6/8th 7/8th 8/8th Sky
in this case, the wind is blowing FROM the change of the pressure during
southeast. The shorter lines, called barbs, 20 knots
Clouds Obscured that same period. In this example,
indicate the wind speed in knots (kt). The speed 25 knots the pressure was steady then fell
of the wind is determined by the barbs. Each long (lowered) becoming 0.3 millibars
55 knots
barb represents 10 kt with short barbs LOWER than it was three
The lower right area is reserved

I 998
representing 5 kt. A pennant is used to represent
77
hours ago.
for the past weather, which is the each 50 kt. In this example, one short barb and
most significant weather that has one long barb means the wind speed is 15 kt.
-03
Rising, the falling

Pressure higher than three hours ago

occurred within the past six hours
excluding the most recent hour. Rising, then steady; or
Cold Front - a zone separating two air masses, of which the cooler,

71
rising, then rising more slowly
n/a Clear or Few Clouds (not plotted) denser mass is advancing and replacing the warmer.
Partly cloudy (scattered) or variable sky
n/a (not plotted) Warm Front - a transition zone between a mass of warm air and the cold Rising steadily, or unsteadily

n/a Cloudy (broken) or overcast (not plotted) 20 air it is replacing.

Falling or steady, then rising; or
Occluded Front - a composite of two fronts, formed as a cold front rising, then rising more quickly
Sandstorm or dust storm, or drifting or overtakes a warm or quasi-stationary front. Two types of occlusions can
blowing snow form depending on the relative coldness of the air behind the cold front to Steady, same as 3 hours ago

B3
the air ahead of the warm or stationary front. A cold occlusion results
Fog, or smoke, or thick dust haze
when the coldest air is behind the cold front and a warm occlusion
Falling, then rising, same or
results when the coldest air is ahead of the warm front.

Pressure lower than three hours ago

A B2 C
Drizzle lower than 3 hours ago
Stationary Front - a front between warm and cold air masses that is Falling, then steady; or
Rain moving very slowly or not at all. falling, then falling more slowly
Snow, or rain and snow mixed, or ice
pellets (sleet) DE F G Trough - No temperature difference across boundary Falling steadily, or unsteadily

Shower(s)
H B1 I Dry Line - a boundary separating moist and dry air masses. It typically
lies north-south across the central and southern high Plains states
Steady or rising, then falling; or
falling, then falling more quickly

J
Thunderstorm, with or without during the spring and early summer, where it separates moist air from
precipitation the Gulf of Mexico (to the east) and dry desert air from the southwestern
states (to the west).

Squal Line - a line of active thunderstorms, either continuous or with

National Weather Service breaks, including contiguous precipitation areas resulting from the
Building a Weather-Ready Nation existence of the thunderstorms.
https://www.weather.gov/media/jetstream/synoptic/sfc_plot_key.pdf

00
Cloud development NOT
observed during past
hour (not plotted)
10
Mist
20
Drizzle (not freezing) or
snow grains, not as
shower(s), has ended
30
Slight or moderate dust
storm or sandstorm (has
decreased in past hour)
40
( )
Fog at a distance, but
not at the station during
the preceding hour
50
Drizzle, not freezing,
intermittent (slight at
time of observation)
60
Rain, not freezing,
intermittent (slight at
time of observation)
70
Intermittent fall of
snowflakes (slight at
time of observation)
80
Rain shower(s), slight
90
Shower(s) of hail, w/ or Thunderstorm during past Thunderstorm during past
w/o rain or rain/snow, no hour w/ slight rain at time hour w/ current moderate/
thunder, mod. or heavy of observation
National Weather Service
Building a Weather-Ready Nation
Present Weather Symbols
( )
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09
Clouds generally State of sky on the whole Clouds generally forming Visibility reduced by Haze Widespread dust in Dust or sand due to wind Well developed dust whirl Dust storm or sandstorm
becoming less unchanged during past or developing during past smoke the air, not raised by at or near the station but and/or sand whirl but no within sight or at the
developed (not plotted) hour (not plotted) hour (not plotted) wind at or near station no dust whirl/sandstorm dust storm/sandstorm station during past hour
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
) ( ( )
)
Patches of shallow fog More or less continuous Lighting visible, no Precipitation within sight, Precipitation within sight, Precipitation within sight, Thunder heard, but no Squall(s) within sight Funnel cloud(s) and/or
at station, NOT deeper shallow fog at station, thunder heard but NOT reaching the reaching the surface, but reaching the surface precipitation at the station during past hour Tornado(es) during the
than 6 feet on land NOT deeper than 6 feet ground more than 3 miles away within 3 miles preceding hour
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Rain (not freezing) not Snow not falling as Rain and snow or ice Freezing drizzle or freez- Shower(s) of rain ended Shower(s) of snow, or Shower(s) of hail, or Fog or ice fog ended Thunderstorm (with or
falling as shower(s) , shower(s) ended in pellets, not as shower(s) ing rain, not as shower(s) in the past hour of rain and snow ended of rain and hail ended in the past hour without precipitation)
ended in the past hour the past hour ended in the past hour ended in the past hour in the past hour in the past hour ended in the past hour
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39
Slight or moderate dust Slight or moderate dust Severe dust storm or Severe dust storm or Severe dust storm or Slight or moderate Heavy drifting snow Slight or moderate Heavy blowing snow
storm/sandstorm (no storm or sandstorm (has sandstorm, decreased sandstorm, has no sandstorm has begun drifting snow (generally (generally below blowing snow (generally (generally above eye
change during past hour) begun or increased) during the past hour change during past hour or increased below eye level) eye level) above eye level) level)
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49
Fog in patches Fog, sky visible Fog, sky obscured Fog, sky visible (no Fog, sky obscured (no Fog, sky visible (has Fog, sky obscured (has Fog, depositing rime Fog, depositing rime
(has become thinner (has become thinner appreciable change appreciable change begun or has become begun or has become ice, sky visible ice, or ice fog, sky
during preceding hour) during preceding hour) during the past hour) during the past hour) thicker during past hour) thicker during past hour) obscured
51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59
Drizzle, not freezing, Drizzle, not freezing, Drizzle, not freezing, Drizzle, not freezing, Drizzle, not freezing, Drizzle, freezing, slight Drizzle, freezing, Drizzle and rain, slight Drizzle and rain,
continuous (slight at intermittent (moderate at continuous (moderate at intermittent (heavy at continuous (heavy at moderate or heavy moderate or heavy
time of observation) time of observation) time of observation) time of observation) time of observation)
61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69
Rain, not freezing, Rain, not freezing, Rain, not freezing, Rain, not freezing, Rain, freezing, Rain or drizzle and Rain or drizzle and
Rain, not freezing, Rain, freezing, slight
continuous (slight at intermittent (moderate at continuous (moderate at continuous (heavy at moderate or heavy snow, slight snow, moderate
intermittent (heavy at
time of observation) time of observation) time of observation) time of observation) time of observation) or heavy
71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79
Continuous fall of Intermittent fall of Continuous fall of Intermittent fall of Continuous fall of Ice needles (with Snow grains (with Isolated star-like Ice pellets (sleet)
snowflakes (slight at snowflakes (moderate snowflakes (moderate snowflakes (heavy at snowflakes (heavy at or without fog) or without fog) snow crystals (with
time of observation) at time of observation) at time of observation) time of observation) time of observation) or without fog)
81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89
Rain shower(s), Rain shower(s), violent Shower(s) of rain and Shower(s) of rain and Snow shower(s), slight Snow shower(s), Shower(s) of snow pellets Shower(s) of snow pellets Shower(s) of hail, slight,
moderate or heavy snow mixed, slight snow mixed, moderate moderate or heavy or small hail, slight with or or small hail, moderate or w/ or w/o rain or rain/
or heavy without rain or rain/snow heavy w/ or w/o rain/snow snow mixed, no thunder
91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99
Thunderstorm ended w/ Thunderstorm ended w/ Thunderstorm, slight or Thunderstorm, slight or Thunderstorm, heavy, Thunderstorm combined Thunderstorm, heavy,
current slight snow, rain/ current moderate/heavy moderate, w/o hail but w/ moderate, with hail at w/o hail but with rain with dust storm or with hail at time of
heavy rain snow mixed, or hail snow, rain/snow, or hail rain and/or snow time of observation and/or snow sandstorm observation
https://www.weather.gov/media/jetstream/synoptic/sfc_plot_key.pdf