Topic summary

Area of low pressure

Area of low pressure

Extracted from the Wikipedia article Low-pressure area.

Atmospheric lift will also generally produce cloud cover through adiabatic cooling once the air temperature drops below the dew point as it rises, the cloudy skies typical of low-pressure areas act to dampen diurnal temperature extremes. Since clouds reflect sunlight, incoming shortwavesolar radiation decreases, causing lower temperatures during the day. At night the absorptive effect of clouds on outgoing longwave radiation, such as heat energy from the surface, allows for warmer nighttime minimums in all seasons. The stronger the area of low pressure, the stronger the winds experienced in its vicinity. Globally, low-pressure systems are most frequently located over the Tibetan Plateau and in the lee of the Rocky Mountains. In Europe (particularly in the British Isles and Netherlands), recurring low-pressure weather systems are typically known as "low levels."