Lesson 14: Background

Surface Pressures Estimation from Synoptic Cloud Patterns

The location of mid-troposphere troughs and ridges in the midlatitude can be determined from analysis of the cloud patterns in infrared or visible imagery. Time sequences of images can indicate if a ridge is amplifying or breaking down.

Surface Press	Cloud Pattern
Notice how the high level clouds go beyond the ridge line.
With a high amplitude ridge the cloud pattern is steeper and ends closer to the ridge line.
The troughline can be be found in frontal bands patterns as indicated in the adjacent figure. Notice the trough intersects the region where the frontal clouds become fragmented.

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