How the maps are made
Each six-character code invents one weather situation: a low with its fronts placed as in the Norwegian cyclone model, one or two highs, and air masses on each side of the fronts. Isobars are drawn every 4 mb and bend where they cross the fronts, which sit in troughs.
Every station model is read off that same situation, so the cold side of each front is colder, winds circle the low counterclockwise, and rain or snow falls only along the fronts. The model is the textbook one, so it is tidier than a real map. Symbols follow the New York Regents reference tables.
Example: decoding a station model
On map STRM2F, station A shows 941 at the upper right. It is 500 or more, so put 9 in front and a decimal point before the last digit: 994.1 mb. The temperature is 19°F and the dewpoint 17°F, close together, and the snow symbol shows why. The shaft points northeast with two long feathers and one short one, 10 + 10 + 5, so the wind is from the northeast at 25 knots, and the circle is fully shaded: 100% cloud cover. Open this map.
For a class
Share with class copies a link to the same map and questions. Set Maps to a number before you print and each student gets a different map, with the keys at the end. Untick questions you have not taught yet. Temperatures can be shown in °C, though Regents maps use °F.
Questions people ask
How do you read the air pressure on a station model?
The three digits at the upper right are tenths of a millibar with the leading 10 or 9 left off. If the number is less than 500, put 10 in front; if it is 500 or more, put 9 in front. Then add a decimal point before the last digit: 196 is 1019.6 mb and 984 is 998.4 mb.
How do you tell wind direction and speed from a station model?
The shaft points toward the direction the wind is coming from, and winds are named for that direction. Each long feather is 10 knots and each short feather is 5 knots, so one long and one short feather mean 15 knots.
Which way does the wind blow around a low?
In the Northern Hemisphere, counterclockwise and in toward the center. Around a high it blows clockwise and out from the center. Either way it crosses the isobars at a slight angle, from higher toward lower pressure, and it is strongest where the isobars are closest together.
How can you tell the four fronts apart?
A cold front has triangles and a warm front has half circles, both on the side the front is moving toward. An occluded front has both on the same side. A stationary front has triangles on one side and half circles on the other.
What weather comes with a cold front and a warm front?
Ahead of a warm front there is a wide band of clouds and steady rain or snow, then warmer, more humid air arrives on south winds. A cold front brings a narrow band of showers or thunderstorms, then colder, drier air, northwest winds and rising pressure.
Why do storms usually move toward the northeast?
Across the middle latitudes of North America the prevailing westerlies carry weather systems from west to east, and most lows track toward the northeast. Regents rating guides accept northeast, east-northeast, north-northeast or east for a storm's path.
Sources: NYSED Reference Tables for Earth and Space Sciences, 2024 Edition (Key to Weather Map Symbols); Reference Tables for Physical Setting / Earth Science, 2011 Edition (Weather Map Symbols, air masses); NYSED Physical Setting / Earth Science exams and rating guides, 2018 to June 2026; NYSED Earth and Space Sciences exams, June 2025 to August 2026; NOAA Weather Prediction Center: station model; front symbols. Checked October 24, 2026.