References the standard surface-station model and WMO synoptic symbols.
Weather Map Legend Explainer
Explain professional icons and legends used on surface and upper-air weather maps.
Live tool
Blue triangles point toward the direction of motion.
Red semicircles point in the direction the front moves.
Purple, alternating shapes — cold has overtaken warm.
Center of an anticyclone — fair weather.
Cyclonic center — clouds and precipitation.
Convective rainfall with lightning.
Frozen precipitation symbol on station model.
Three horizontal lines on a station plot.
Single offline reference for the symbols that scare off amateurs reading professional charts.
- 1Pick a symbol category: fronts, pressure systems, precipitation, station model.
- 2Click any symbol for a plain explanation.
Why are there so many front types?
Surface analyses distinguish cold, warm, stationary, and occluded fronts, each with a distinct symbol.
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