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Interpreting Surface Observation Symbols
a quick overview

Temperature:

The value highlighted in yellow located in the upper left corner is the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit. In this example, the reported temperature is 64 degrees.

Weather Symbol:

The weather symbol highlighted in yellow indicates the type of weather occurring at the time the observation is taken. In this case, fog was reported. If there were thunderstorms occurring when the observation was taken, then the symbol for thunderstorms would have appeared instead.

Dew Point Temperature:

The value highlighted in yellow located in the lower left corner is the dew point temperature in degrees Fahrenheit. In this example, the reported dew point temperature is 58 degrees.

Cloud Cover:

The symbol highlighted in yellow indicates the amount of cloud cover observed at the time the observation is taken. In this case, broken clouds were reported.

Sea Level Pressure:

The value highlighted in yellow located in the upper right corner represents the last three digits of the sea level pressure reading in millibars (mb).

Wind Barb:

The symbol highlighted in yellow is known as a wind barb. The wind barb indicates wind direction and wind speed.


Terms for using data resources. CD-ROM available.
Credits and Acknowledgments for WW2010.
Department of Atmospheric Sciences (DAS) at
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.