ASK THE METEOROLOGIST
“What is the difference between ‘isobar’ and ‘isotherm’ and how do they interact?”
Ken Trout
Talent
Isobars are lines of equal pressure while isotherms are lines of equal temperature. They are used in order to more easily see weather patterns than looking at the raw data. Isobars indicate low and high pressure systems and low pressures tend to have a cold front draping south from the center of the low with a warm front reaching out to the east, which means the colder temperatures and thus cooler isotherms follow a low pressure while warm isotherms are out ahead.