A synoptic weather map is a weather chart reflecting the state of the atmosphere over a large area at a given moment.

Examples of synoptic charts can seen here.

Today’s Synoptic Chart

Today’s South African Weather Chart can be seen here.

GRADE 10 RECAP:

Weather elements: temperature, dew-point temperature, cloud cover, wind direction,wind speed and atmospheric pressure.

Weather Element	Description	How it is measured	Unit of measure	Instrument
Temperature	How hot or cold it is	Thermometer	Degrees Celsius (°C)
Precipitation	Moisture from the sky	Rain Gauge	Millimetres (mm.)
Dew-point temperature	The temperature condensation will take place	Hygrometer.	Degrees Celsius (°C)
Cloud cover	The amount of cloud in the sky	Observed by a meteorologist	Oktas - eighths of the sky
Wind direction	Where the wind is blowing FROM	Wind Vane	Points of the compass (north, north-west etc), or bearing in degrees
Wind speed	How fast the wind is blowing	Anemometer	Knots, or by the Beaufort Scale
Atmospheric pressure	The "weight" of the air pushing on the surface of the Earth	Barometer	Hectopascals (although most people know it as millibars)

Weather conditions: rain, drizzle, thunderstorms, hail and snow, as illustrated on station models.

Most reporting in the 21st century are electronic. Below is the weather for Sutherland in the Northern Cape; the coldest place in South Africa.

 

 

Reading and interpreting synoptic weather maps.

An example of a weather forecast

A Synoptic Chart Tutorial

An Australian Synoptic chart example