AMRC & AWS

Understanding Surface Plots

The surface plots in this section are either in American or Metric units.

American:
- The red numbers correspond to temperature in Fahrenheit.
- The green numbers correspond to dew point in Fahrenheit.
- The yellow markings are wind barbs.
- The blue numbers correspond to pressure in millibars. If the number 
starts with a 0,1,2,3,4 or 5, then add a 10 at the beginning and move
the decimal point over one digit to the left. If the number starts with a
6,7,8 or 9, then add a 9 at the beginning and move the decimal point
over one digit to the left. For example, if the blue number reads 126, 
the actual pressure would be 1012.6 millibars. If the blue number reads 868,
then the actual pressure would be 986.8 millibars.

Metric:
- The red numbers correspond to temperature in Celsius.
- The green numbers correspond to dew point in Celsius.
- The yellow markings are wind barbs.
- The blue numbers correspond to the pressure in millibars. See the
explanation in the 'American' section above.

Questions? Email amrc@ssec.wisc.edu.