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Grade 9 · Science · Earth and Space Science

9th grade Pressure systems, fronts and weather maps worksheet

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

Level: Building Confidence · On Level · Challenge Me

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Pressure systems, fronts and weather maps

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. What does an isobar on a weather map connect, by Ari's reading (NOAA)?

    • Points that share the same temperature
    • The path of a front
    • Points of equal air pressure
    • Points with equal rain
  2. Where isobars are close together, what is the wind like, by Bo's reading (NOAA)?

    • Stronger, since pressure changes quickly
    • Weaker, since the gradient is small
    • Calm, since the lines crowd out the moving air
    • Blowing straight up
  3. Air is pushed from which pressure toward which, by Kira's reading (NOAA)?

    • From high pressure toward low pressure
    • From cold places toward hot ones
    • Straight along each isobar, with no push
    • From low pressure toward high pressure
  4. What weather usually comes with high pressure, by Jun's reading (NOAA)?

    Use the picture in question 3.

    • Fair weather, as sinking air warms and clouds evaporate
    • Thunderstorms each day
    • Clouds and steady rain, as air rises and cools over the area
    • Snow, as air rises and cools
  5. Why do lows often bring clouds and rain, by Luz's reading (NOAA)?

    Use the picture in question 3.

    • Pressure pushes the rain down
    • Converging air rises, cools and condenses
    • Air spreads out from the center
    • Sinking air warms and dries
  6. In the Northern Hemisphere, which way does wind circle a low, by Milo's reading (NOAA)?

    • Counterclockwise, spiraling in
    • Straight out from the center in each direction
    • Clockwise, spiraling in
    • Clockwise, spiraling out
  7. Read this first

    Use this

    The four front symbols in a legend.

  8. How is a cold front drawn on a weather map, by Noah's reading (NOAA)?

    • Alternating red and blue segments
    • A red line with half-moons
    • A blue line with triangles pointing the way it moves
    • A purple line with both symbols
  9. How is a warm front drawn, by Pia's reading (NOAA)?

    • A blue line with triangles
    • A dashed brown line
    • A red line with half-moons pointing the way it moves
    • A purple line
  10. A wind line has one long barb and one short barb. What is the wind speed, by Zee's math (NOAA)?

    • 6 knots
    • 15 knots
    • 20 knots
    • 11 knots
  11. NOAA: standard sea-level pressure is 1013.25 mb (29.92 inches of mercury). What is a reading of 1,030 mb, by Esme's reading?

    • Higher than standard, as in a high
    • Impossible on Earth
    • Lower than standard, as in a deep low
    • Exactly standard
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9th grade Pressure systems, fronts and weather maps worksheet – printable
Print: 123456

About this worksheet

Read pressure systems, fronts and weather maps. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can read highs (sinking air, fair skies, clockwise outflow) and lows (rising air, clouds, counterclockwise inflow) in the Northern Hemisphere.
  • I can use isobar spacing to judge wind strength, and read station-model wind barbs.
  • I can read the four front symbols and match each front to its weather.

Standard: none (TX, FL)

Words to know

isobar: A line joining points of equal air pressure

pressure gradient: How quickly pressure changes with distance

cold front: The leading edge of cold air pushing out warmer air

warm front: The leading edge of warm air replacing cold air

occluded front: Where a faster cold front has caught a warm front

Common mistakes

Your child swapped highs and lows. NOAA: in a high, sinking air warms and clouds evaporate, bringing fair weather; in a low, converging air rises, cools and forms clouds and rain.

Your child misread the isobars. NOAA: isobars join points of equal pressure; the closer they are, the steeper the pressure gradient and the stronger the wind.

Your child turned the wind the wrong way. NOAA: in the Northern Hemisphere wind spirals counterclockwise into lows and clockwise out of highs, because of the Coriolis force and friction.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with pressure systems, fronts and weather maps?

Your child swapped highs and lows. NOAA: in a high, sinking air warms and clouds evaporate, bringing fair weather; in a low, converging air rises, cools and forms clouds and rain.

Are these 9th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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