Weather Symbols

The key to understanding a weather map is to understand the weather symbols that are used on the map. Weather map symbols were created as a method of reporting meteorological data in mass quantities to weather analyzing agencies such as the National Weather Service. The symbols are a form of shorthand used when writing out the information longhand becomes difficult. Think of the following example: 8 x 7 = 56

eight multiplied by seven equals the sum quantity of fifty-six

That is a pretty long way of writing a simple math equation. In fact, you may already use a version of shorthand in your email and blog postings. For instance, using :) is a smile! But how do meteorologists use weather symbols?