HIGH AND LOW

PRESSURE
SYSTEM

mu
 HIGH PRESSURE
• IS A PRESSURE SURROUNDED BY
LOW PRESSURE.
1012
1018
1024
1030
H
H
 LOW PRESSURE
• IS A PRESSURE SURROUNDED BY
HIGH PRESSURE.
1004
1000
996

L 990
H
 ANTI-CYCLONIC CYCLONIC

HIGH LOW PRESSURE

 Pressure Gradient Force
The change in pressure measured across a
given distance is called a "pressure
gradient".
The pressure gradient force is the force that is
usually responsible for accelerating a parcel of
air from a high atmospheric pressure region
to a low pressure region, resulting in wind.
wind
The pressure gradient force acts at right
angles to isobars in the direction from high
to low pressure.
pressure The greater the pressure
difference over a given horizontal distance, the
greater the force and hence the stronger the
wind.
STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT OF
LOW PRESSURE:
PRESSURE
• 1. TROPICAL DISTURBANCE – IS A
DISCRETE SYSTEM OF APPARENTLY
ORGANIZED CONVECTION. NO
STRONG WINDS AND NO CLOSED
ISOBARS. ALSO KNOWN AS
“EASTERLY WAVES”
• 2. TROPICAL DEPRESSION – HAS ONE
OR MORE CLOSED ISOBARS AND
SOME ROTARY CIRCULATION AT THE
SURFACE. HIGHEST SUSTAINED
SURFACE WIND SPEED IS 33 KNOTS.
• 3. TROPICAL STORM – HAS CLOSED
ISOBARS AND DISTINCT ROTARY
CIRCULATION.HIGHEST SUSTAINED
SURFACE WIND SPEED 34 – 63
KNOTS.
• 4. HURRICANE OR TYPHOON – HAS
VERY CLOSED ISOBARS. A STRONG
AND VERY PRONOUNCED ROTARY
CIRCULATION. SUSTAINED SURFACE
WIND SPEED IS 64 KNOTS AND
HIGHER.
HIGHER
5. OCCLUDED CYCLONE – FINAL
STAGE
 PRECURSORY SIGN OF LOW
PRESSURE:
PRESSURE
• 1. A LONG LOW SWELL IS SOMETIMES
EVIDENT, PROCEEDING FROM THE
APPROXIMATE BEARING OF THE
CENTER OF THE STORM.
• 2. CIRRUS CLOUDS APPEARING TO
DIVERGE FROM A POINT ON THE
HORIZON MAY INDICATE THE
DIRECTION OF A TROPICAL STORM.
• 3. AN APPRECIABLE CHANGE IN THE
DIRECTION AND STRENGTH OF THE
WIND.
• 4. CORRECTED BAROMETRIC READING
IS 5 mb. OR MORE BELOW THE
NORMAL.

• NORMAL BAROMETER READING:

READING
• 1013.25 mb.
• 1013.26 mb. 29.92 in. Hg.
• 760 mm Hg. 14.7 PSI
 APPROX. DIST. RATE OF FALL OF
OF STORM BAROMETER
( INCHES / HOUR )

• 50 TO 80 MILES 0.12 - 0.15

• 80 TO 100 MILES 0.08 - 0.12
• 100 TO 150 MILES 0.06 - 0.08
• 150 TO 250 MILES 0.02 - 0.06
• PUBLIC STORM WARNINGS
• As per MPSWS (Modified Public Storm

Warning System)

• Signal No. 1 = 30 – 60 KPH (Exp. 36 Hrs.)

• Signal No. 2 = 60 – 100 KPH (Exp. 24 Hrs.)
• Signal No. 3 = 100 -185 KPH (Exp. 18 Hrs.)
• Signal No. 4 = 185 KPH or more (Exp.12 H)
 BUY’S BALLOT LAW
• NORTHERN HEMISPHERE – FACE THE
WIND THE LOW PRESSURE AREA IS
TOWARDS TO THE RIGHT AND
SLIGHTLY BEHIND. THE HIGH
PRESSURE AREA IS TOWARDS TO
THE LEFT AND SLIGHTLY INFRONT.
HIGH

WIND

LOW
• SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE – FACE THE
WIND THE LOW PRESSURE AREA IS
TOWARDS TO THE LEFT AND
SLIGHTLY BEHIND. THE HIGH
PRESSURE AREA IS TOWARDS TO
THE RIGHT AND SLGHTLY INFRONT.

LOW

WIND

HIGH
• PATH OF STORM
• (N.HEMISPHERE) S . WIND CHANGE
CLOCKWISE
SPEED OF WIND AT KT
30 VEERING WIND
RECURVATURE –
VERTEX of the Storm 20
DSC

H L

10
NSC

–
12
K
TS
WIND CHANGE

.
COUNTER-CLOCKWISE SPEED OF WIND BEFORE
BACKING WIND RECURVATURE
 EVASIVE ACTION AT N. HEMISPHERE

Semicircle ACTION
Dangerous Place wind 1- 4 points on
starboard bow altering course to
starboard as the wind veers.
Navigable or at Place wind on starboard quarter
the path of the altering course to port as the wind
storm
veers.
 EVASIVE ACTION AT S. HEMISPHERE

Semicircle ACTION
Dangerous Place wind 1- 4 points on port bow
altering course to port as the wind
backs.
Navigable or at Place wind on port quarter altering
the path of the course to starboard as the wind
storm
backs.
• 1. The atmosphere in the vicinity of a
high pressure area is called a/an:
• A. Anticyclone
• B. Cold front
• C. Occluded front
• D. Cyclone
• 2. Anticyclones are usually characterized
by:
• A. Dry, fair weather
• B. High winds and cloudiness
• C. Gustiness and continuous precipitation
• D. Overcast skies
• 3. Good weather is usually associated
with region of:
• A. Low barometric pressure
• B. High barometric pressure
• C. Falling barometric pressure
• D. Pumping barometric pressure
• 4. Most high pressure areas in the U.S.
are accompanied by:
• A. Precipitation
• B. Clear, cool weather
• C. Humid, sticky weather
• D. Cool fogs
• 5. The wind circulation around high pressure
center in the N. Hemisphere is:
• A. Counterclockwise and moving towards the
high
• B. Counterclockwise and moving outward from
the high
• C. Clockwise and moving towards the high
• D. Clockwise and moving outward from high
• 6. The flow of air around an anticyclone
in the S. Hemisphere is:
• A. Clockwise and outward
• B. Counterclockwise and outward
• C. Clockwise and inward
• D. Counterclockwise and inward
• 7. The atmosphere in the vicinity of a low
pressure area is called a/an:
• A. Cyclone
• B. Anticyclone
• C. Cold front
• D. Occluded front
• 8. Bad weather is usually associated
with regions of:
• A. Low barometric pressure
• B. High barometric pressure
• C. Steady barometric pressure
• D. Changing barometric pressure
• 9. When a low pressure area is
approaching, the weather generally:
• A. Improves
• B. Gets worse
• C. Remains the same
• D. Is unpredictable
• 10. In the N. Hemisphere, an area of
counterclockwise wind circulation
surrounded by higher pressure is a:
• A. Low
• B. High
• C. Warm front
• D. Cold front
• 11. The circulation around a low
pressure center in the N. Hemisphere is:
• A. Counterclockwise
• B. Variable
• C. Clockwise
• D. Anticyclone
• 12. The wind direction around a low
pressure area in the N. Hemisphere is:
• A. Clockwise and inwards
• B. Counterclockwise and inward
• C. Clockwise and outward
• D. Counterclockwise and outward
• 13. A cyclone in its final stage of
development is called a/an:
• A. Tornado
• B. Anticyclone
• C. Occluded cyclone
• D. Polar cyclone
• 14. When a hurricane passes into high
latitudes over colder water and the source
of heat is disrupted, the storms assumes
the characteristics of a/an:
• A. High pressure area
• B. Extratropical cyclone
• C. Tropical storm
• D. Easterly wave
• 15. Cyclones tend to move:
• A. Perpendicular to the isobars in their warm
sectors
• B. Parallel to the isobars in their warm
sectors
• C. Parallel to the line of the cold front
• D. Perpendicular to the line of the cold front
• 16. Cyclones that have warm sectors
usually move:
• A. Westerly
• B. Parallel to the isobars in the warm sectors
• C. Toward the nearest high pressure area
• D. Faster than the accompanying cold front
• 17. Severe tropical cyclones (hurricanes,
typhoons) occur in all warm-water
oceans except the:
• A. Indian Ocean
• B. N. Pacific Ocean
• C. S. Pacific Ocean
• D. S. Atlantic Ocean
• 18. Tropical cyclones do not form within
5 of the Equator because:
• A. There are no fronts in the area
• B. It is too humid
• C. It is too hot
• D. Of negligible coriolis force
• 19. Tropical cyclones normally form
within which of the following belts of
Latitude?
• A. 0 to 15
• B. 15 to 30
• C. 30 to 45
• D. 45 to 60
• 20. Tropical cyclones are classified by
form and intensity. Which of the four
mentioned disturbances does not have
closed isobars?
• A. Hurricane
• B. Tropical disturbance
• C. Tropical depression
• D. Cyclone
• 21. Which condition would not indicate
the approach of a tropical storm?
• A. Long, high swells
• B. Cirrus clouds
• C. Halos about the sun or moon
• D. Decrease in wind velocity
• 22. An approximate idea of the distance of
the storm center can be gained by noting
the increasing hourly rate of fall of the
barometer. If the rate of fall were 0.08 to
0.12 inches per hour, approximately how
far would you be from the storm center?
• A. 50 to 80 miles
• B. 80 to 100 miles
• C. 100 to 150 miles
• D. 150 to 250 miles
• 23. In the tropics, which of the following
indicates the arrival of hurricane at your
position within 24 to 36 hours?
• A. The normal swell becoming lower and from a
steady direction
• B. Long bands of nimbostratus clouds radiating
from a point over the horizon
• C. The barometer drops 2 millibars between
1000H and 1600H
• D. Unusually good weather with above average
pressure followed by a slow fall of 4 millibars
• 24. Which of the following conditions
exists in the eye of a hurricane?
• A. Wind rapidly changing in direction
• B. A temperature much lower outside the eye
• C. Towering cumulonimbus clouds
• D. An extremely low barometric pressure
Eye is a relatively calm center of the hurricane.
The winds are light, and skies are partly cloudy
or even clear. The average hurricane eye
diameter is a little over 20 miles.
miles In general,
when the eye is shrinking in size, the hurricane
is intensifying. During the daytime, the
passage of the hurricane's eye over a
community is usually accompanied by sunny
skies and a rise in temperature. After the eye's
passage, the violent wind howls in the opposite
direction to what it was right before the eye
moved over and the heavy sheets of rain
return
• 25. Which of the following indicates that a
tropical cyclone can be expected at your
position within 24 to 48 hours?
• A. A diurnal inequality of 6 millibars in the
barometric reading.
• B. A sudden wind shift from southwest to
northwest followed by steadily increasing
winds.
• C. The normal swell pattern becoming confused
with the length increasing.
• D. An overcast sky with steadily increasing rain
from nimbostratus clouds.
• 26. The usual sequence of directions in
which a tropical cyclone moves in the S.
Hemisphere is:
• A. Northwest, west and south
• B. Southwest, south and southeast
• C. North, northwest and east
• D. West, northwest and north
• 27. A hurricane moving northeast out of
the Gulf passes west of your position.
You could expect all of the following
except:
• A. Higher than normal tides
• B. High winds
• C. Winds veering from south through west
to northwest
• D. Light showers
• 28. Early indications of the approach of a
hurricane may be all of the following
except:
• A. Short confused swells
• B. Gradually increasing white clouds
(Mare’s Tails)
• C. Pumping barometer
• D. Continuous fine mist-like rain
• 29. In the relatively calm area near the
hurricane center, the seas are:
• A. Moderate but easily navigated
• B. Calm
• C. Mountainous and confused
• D. Mountainous but fairly regular as far as
direction is concerned
• 30. If your weather bulletin shows the center
of a low pressure area to be 100 miles due
east of your position, what winds can you
expect?
• A. East to northeast
• B. East to southeast
• C. North to northwest
• D. South to southeast
• 31. According to Buys Ballot’s law when
an observer in the N. Hemisphere
experiences a northwest wind, the center
of the low pressure is located to the:
• A. Northeast
• B. West, southwest
• C. Northwest
• D. South, southeast
• 32. You are steaming west in the N.
Atlantic in an extratropical cyclonic
storm, and the wind is dead ahead.
According to the Buys Ballot, the center
of low pressure lies:
• A. To the north of you
• B. To the south of you
• C. Ahead of you
• D. Astern of you
• 33. According to Buy Ballot’s law, when
an observer in the N. hemisphere
experience a northeast wind, the center of
low pressure is located to the:
• A. Northeast
• B. West-southwest
• C. Northwest
• D. South-southeast
• 34. If an observer in the N. Hemisphere
faces the surface wind, the center of low
pressure is:
• A. Toward his left, slightly behind him
• B. Toward his right, slightly behind him
• C. Toward his left, slightly in front of him
• D. Toward his right, slightly in front of him
• 35. When facing into the wind in the N.
hemisphere, the center of low pressure
lies:
• A. Directly in front of you
• B. Directly behind you
• C. To your left and behind you
• D. To your right and behind you
• 36. You are steaming eastward in the N.
Atlantic in an extratropical cyclonic storm
and the wind is dead ahead. According to
the law of Buys Ballot, the center of the
low pressure lies:
• A. Ahead of you
• B. Astern of you
• C. To the north
• D. To the south
• 37. While enroute from Puerto Rico to
New York, a hurricane makes up and is
approaching. If the wind veers steadily,
this indicates that your vessels is:
• A. In the dangerous semicircle
• B. In the navigable semicircle
• C. Directly in the path of the storm
• D. In the storm center
• 38. You are attempting to locate your
position with reference to a hurricane
center in the N. Hemisphere. If the wind
direction remains steady, but with
diminishing velocity, you are most likely:
• A. In the right semicircle
• B. In the left semicircle
• C. On the storm track behind center
• D. On the storm track ahead of the center
• 39. If it is impossible for a ship to avoid
tropical cyclone at sea in the N.
Hemisphere, the most favorable place for
the ship to be in when the storm passes
is:
• A. The dangerous semicircle
• B. The eye (center) of the storm
• C. That half of the storm lying to the right of
the storm’s path
• D. That half of the storm lying to the left of
the storm’s path.
• 40. In a tropical cyclone in the N.
Hemisphere, a vessel hove to with the
wind shifting counterclockwise would be:
• A. In the navigable semicircle
• B. In the dangerous semicircle
• C. Directly in the approach path of the center
• D. Ahead of the storm
• 41. In a tropical cyclone in the S.
Hemisphere a vessel hove to with the
wind shifting clockwise would be:
• A. Ahead of the storm center
• B. In the dangerous semicircle
• C. Directly behind the storm center
• D. In the navigable semicircle
• 42. In the N. Hemisphere, your vessel is
believed to be in the direct path of a
hurricane, and plenty of sea room
available. The best course of action is to
bring the wind on the:
• A. Starboard bow, note course and head in that
direction
• B. Starboard quarter, note course and head in that
direction
• C. Port quarter, note course and head in that
direction
• D. Port bow, note course and head in that direction
• 43. You have determined that you are in the
right semicircle of a tropical cyclone in the
N. Hemisphere. What action should you take
to avoid the storm?
• A. Place the wind on the starboard quarter and
hold that course
• B. Place the wind on the port quarter and hold
that course
• C. Place the wind on the port bow and hold that
course
• D. Place the wind on the starboard bow and
hold that course
• 44. In the N. Hemisphere you are caught in
the dangerous semicircle with plenty of
sea room available. The best course of
action is to bring wind on the:
• A. Starboard bow and make as much
headway as possible
• B. Starboard quarter and make as much
headway as possible
• C. Port quarter and make as much headways
possible
• D. Port bow and make as much headway as
possible
• 45. In the S. Hemisphere if you are caught in
the left semicircle of a tropical storm you
should bring the wind:
• A. On the port quarter, hold course and make
as much way as possible
• B. 2 points on the port quarter and make as
much way as possible
• C. On the port bow, hold course and make as
much way as possible
• D. Dead ahead and heave to
• 46. What is/are the predominant feature
(s) of the dangerous semicircle of a
hurricane?
• A. Higher winds
• B. Winds will carry the vessel directly into
the path of the hurricane
• C. Both a and b
• D. Neither a nor b
• 47. Tropical cyclones are dangerous to
navigate because they:
• A. Cover an entire ocean
• B. Have large amount of energy in a
relatively small area
• C. Both a and b
• D. Neither a nor b
• 48. In the N. Hemisphere, tropical
cyclones are most prominent in the
month of:
• A. January
• B. March
• C. May
• D. September
• 49. With a tropical cyclone at 300 to 600
miles distance:
• A. Cirrus clouds converge in the direction
from which the storm is approaching
• B. Cumulus clouds have greater vertical
development
• C. Stratus clouds cover the sky
• D. Altostratus clouds cover the sky
• 50. The bar of a tropical cyclone is
characterized by:
• A. Cumulonimbus clouds
• B. Clear skies
• C. Calm winds
• D. Good visibility
• 51. The inner cloud bands of a hurricane,
when viewed from a distance, form a
mass of dense, black cumulonimbus
clouds called:
• A. Eye of the storm
• B. Bar of the storm
• C. Front
• D. Funnel
• 52. In low latitudes the low(s) of the
diurnal variation of pressure occur(s) at:
• A. 1000 and 2200
• B. Noon
• C. 0400 and 1600
• D. Noon and midnight
• 53. Isobars on a synoptic chart are
useful in predicting:
• A. Dew point
• B. Temperature
• C. Relative humidity
• D. Wind velocity
• 54. A cyclone in its final stage of
development is called a/an:
• A. Occluded cyclone
• B. Tornado
• C. Anticyclone
• D. Polar cyclone
• 55. The largest waves or swells created
by a typhoon will be located:
• A. Directly behind the storm center
• B. Behind and to the left of storm center
• C. Forward and to the right of its course
• D. In the southeast quadrant of the storm
• 56. Low pressure disturbances, which
travel along the intertropical convergence
zone, are called:
• A. Permanent waves
• B. Tidal waves
• C. Tropical waves
• D. Tropical storms
Tropical Waves,
Waves also known as African
easterly waves, are special types of easterly
waves which are elongated areas of relatively
low air pressure, oriented north to south, which
move from east to west across the tropics
causing areas of cloudiness and
thunderstorms.
thunderstorms Tropical waves are generally
carried westward by the prevailing easterly
winds along the tropics and subtropics near
the equator traveling along the ITCZ.
ITCZ They
can lead to the formation of tropical cyclones in
the north Atlantic and northeast Pacific basins.
• 57. What kind of pressure systems travel
in easterly waves?
• A. High pressure
• B. Low pressure
• C. Subsurface pressure
• D. Terrastic pressure
• 58. What kind of weather would you
expect to accompany the passage of a
tropical wave?
• A. Heavy rain and cloudiness
• B. Good weather
• C. A tropical storm
• D. Dense fog
• 59. A tropical wave is usually preceded
by:
• A. Tropical storms
• B. Good weather
• C. Heavy rain and cloudiness
• D. Heavy seas
• 60. A tropical wave is located 200 miles
due west of your position, which is north
of the equator. Where will the wave be in
24 hours?
• A. Farther away to the west
• B. Farther away to the east
• C. In the same place
• D. Closer and to the west
• 61. You are in the Northern Hemisphere
and a tropical wave is located 200 miles
east of your position. Where will the wave
be located 12 hours later?
• A. Farther away to the east
• B. In the same position
• C. Nearby to the east
• D. Farther away to the west
• 62. What type of cloud formations would
you expect to see to the west of an
approaching tropical wave?
• A. Cumulus clouds lined up in rows extending
in a northeast to southwest direction
• B. High altostratus clouds in the morning
hours
• C. Cirrostratus clouds lined up in rows
extending in a northeast to southwest direction
• D. Cirrostratus clouds lined up in rows
extending in a north to south direction
• 63. Re-curvature of a hurricane’s track
usually results in the forward speed:
• A. Increasing
• B. Decreasing
• C. Remains the same
• D. Varying during the day
• 64. What is the average speed of movement
of a hurricane prior to re-curvature?
• A. 4 to 6 knots
• B. 6 to 8 knots
• C. 10 to 12 knots
• D. 15 to 20 knots
• 65. What is the average speed of movement
of a hurricane following the re-curvature of its
track?
• A. 5 to 10 knots
• B. 20 to 30 knots
• C. 40 to 50 knots
• D. Over 60 knots
• PATH OF STORM
• (N.HEMISPHERE) S . WIND CHANGE
CLOCKWISE
SPEED OF WIND AT KT
30 VEERING WIND
RECURVATURE –
VERTEX of the Storm 20
DSC

H L

10
NSC

–
12
K
TS
WIND CHANGE

.
COUNTER-CLOCKWISE SPEED OF WIND BEFORE
BACKING WIND RECURVATURE
• 66. What level of development of a tropical
cyclone has a hundred mile radius of
circulation, gale force wind, less than 990
millibars of pressure and vertically formed
cumulonimbus clouds?
• A. A tropical disturbance
• B. A tropical depression
• C. A tropical storm
• D. A typhoon
• 67. The edge of a hurricane has overtaken
your vessel in the Gulf of Mexico, and the
northwest wind of a few hours ago has
shifted to the west. This is an indication
that you are located in the:
• A. Navigable semicircle
• B. Dangerous semicircle
• C. Low pressure area
• D. Eye of the storm
• 68. The dense black cumulonimbus
clouds surrounding the eye of a hurricane
are called:
• A. Spiral rain bands
• B. Cloud walls
• C. Cyclonic spirals
• D. Funnel clouds
The Eye Wall:
Wall the most deadly area of a
hurricane is the eye wall. The eye wall is
literally a wall of clouds that surround the
eye. The eye wall actually creates the eye by
sucking out any clouds or rain in the area.
The eye wall can produce wind speeds over
155 miles per hour. This occurs because
winds within the eye wall converge, creating
havoc wherever it hits.