WW2010
University of Illinois

WW2010
 
welcome
 
online guides
 
archives
 
educational cd-rom
 
current weather
 
about ww2010
 
index

Online Guides
 
introduction
 
meteorology
 
remote sensing
 
reading maps
 
projects, activities

Meteorology
 
introduction
 
light, optics
 
clouds, precipitation
 
forces, winds
 
air masses, fronts
 
weather forecasting
 
severe storms
 
hurricanes
 
el nino

Pressure, Winds
 
introduction
 
pressure
 
coriolis force

Pressure
 
definition
 
changes with height
 
isobars
 
high pressure center
 
low pressure center
 
pressure gradient

User Interface
 
graphics
text

.
High Pressure Centers
also known as anticyclones

A high pressure center is where the pressure has been measured to be the highest relative to its surroundings. That means, moving any direction away from the High will result in a decrease in pressure. High pressure centers also represent the centers of anticyclones.

A high pressure center is represented on a weather map by a blue H and winds flow clockwise around a high in the northern hemisphere. The opposite is true in the southern hemisphere, where winds flow in a counterclockwise around an area of high pressure.

[Image: high and low pressure center animation (53K)]
** Press "Reload" to restart the animation **

Sinking air in the vicinity of a high pressure center tends to suppress the upward motions required for clouds and precipitation to develop, which is why fair weather is commonly associated with an area of high pressure.


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.