This answers the question from 2/16/2000 about high and low pressure systems,
                 from weather watchers. Hope this helps! - C. Duvall Rutgers Univ. Meteorologist 

                 A. High Pressure Systems: 

                 Those H's you see on weather maps stand for an area of high pressure, or a High.
                 High pressure systems are areas where the winds at the surface move clockwise,
                 or in a circle to the right, like the hands of a clock. 

                 When the winds move clockwise, they tend to have a calming effect on the
                 weather. Winds that move vertically, or up and down, will tend to move down in a
                 high pressure area. 

                 From the 2/15/2000 message called " **Precipitation and Hail** ", I mentioned that
                 storms "live" thanks to winds that go up. Highs make it harder for storms to form
                 because they like to push winds down in the atmosphere. 

                 B. Low Pressure Systems: 

                 The L's you see on weather maps stand for an area of low pressure, or a Low. If
                 Highs have winds that move clockwise and down, then which way do you think
                 that the winds for Lows move? Yup. Counter-clockwise, or in a circle to the left,
                 and up. 

                 When winds move counter-clockwise and up, they tend to make it easy for exciting
                 weather to happen, such as storms. 

                 C. Highs vs. Lows: 

                 Notice how pressure lines usually form circles like a bullseye around Highs and
                 Lows? The more closed lines circling around a High or a Low, the stronger it is. 

                 Wind moves around Highs and Lows along these pressure lines, so you can tell
                 which direction the wind is blowing on a weather map by following the pressure
                 lines clockwise around a High or counter-clockwise around a Low. The more
                 crowded the lines are with each other, the stronger the winds will be. 

                 Highs and Lows try to fit around each other as they move. Try to think of the H's
                 and L's as the center of a wheel. A High will spin around more easily when it is
                 next to a Low, because they both will want the wind to spin in the same direction
                 between them. 

                 Lows move around Highs. Sometimes a strong High will kinda park itself over the
                 middle of the United States. You will see very little precipitation if you live under
                 the High, because the Lows that help cause storms will be forced around the High.
                 Forecasters watch Lows and Highs very carefully to figure out what the weather
                 will be over the next few days. 

                 Finally, keep in mind that what I described is what usually happens with the
                 weather. If a Low is coming toward your area, it does not mean you will absolutely
                 have wet weather, and there are not always sunny days under Highs. 

                 By the way, Highs and Lows work differently for the southern half of the Earth, so
                 these rules don't apply there. 

                 Another good one... can't wait to read more of your questions, keep it up,
                 everyone! 
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