Also known as an anticyclone, an area of high pressure is depicted on weather charts as a series of roughly concentric circles, similar to those seen surrounding a depression but with the highest pressure at the centre. In a high pressure system, the winds tend to be light and, in the northern hemisphere, rotate in a clockwise direction.
High pressure areas are characterized by regions of subsiding and diverging air. As the air descends through the atmosphere (subsides) it is compressed and upon reaching the surface of the earth it diverges as shown in the figure to the right. Fair weather conditions are associated with high pressure areas.
An area of high pressure is characterized by fair weather conditions, subsiding and diverging airflow and surface winds that rotate clockwise around the centre of the high pressure.
Weather Associated with a High Pressure System
Weather associated with high pressure systems are described below:
Cloud: Few if any
Precipitation: None
Visibility: Generally poorer than visibility associated with a depression
Winds: Surface winds are light and rotate clockwise around the centre of the high pressure
Ridge
A ridge is an area of elongated high pressure indicated by isobars extending outwards from the centre of an area of high pressure. The weather within a ridge is similar to that of a high pressure system.
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