KEY OF SYMBOLS USED IN THE WEATHER BULLETINS

The symbols used in the weather bulletins have been listed by category based on the phenomena they represent:

• sky conditions
• rain-snow-thunderstorms
• visibility
• temperature
• wind
• sea conditions

SYMBOLS USED IN THE WEATHER BULLETINS

sky conditions	clear	slightly scattered	scattered	cloudy	overcast	broken

rain	light	moderate	heavy

snow in the mountains	light	moderate	heavy

snow on the plains

thunderstorm

visibility	misty	mists or fog banks	mists, fog banks or low clouds	persistent fog

temperature	rising highs	highs without significant variations	decreasing highs
	rising lows	lows without significant variations	decreasing lows

wind	variable wind or breeze	weak	moderate	severe

sea conditions	calm	slight	moderate	rough

NOTES

The symbols used to describe the condition of the sky represent different levels of cloudiness, ranging from clear skies without any cloud cover to overcast skies.

The symbols used to represent rain, snow and storms can be combined with other symbols indicating cloud cover to create a number of combinations which - for the sake of simplicity - are not contained in the report which follows.

The symbols used to represent rain describe both the quality and intensity of this phenomenon. The explanatory terms associated with these refer respectively first to the total amount of rain fall, and then to its intensity (that is the amount of rain falling during a certain period of time).

The same holds true for the symbols used to represent snow on the mountains. In terms of snow on the plains, specific information on the quantity and intensity of the phenomena is not provided. This information can, instead, be found in the text.

The visibility symbols are used to indicate the presence of mists, fog banks, persistent fog, fog or low clouds.

The temperature symbols specify variations in highs (red) and lows (blue): rising, decreasing or stationary.

The wind symbols provide information on the direction and intensity of the wind, and are to be interpreted as follows:

• arrows point in the direction in which the wind blows. The provenance of the wind is also included in the symbols which appear in each bulletin next to the arrows and is noted using initials for each of the cardinal points (N-north, E-east, S-south, W-west) as well as a combination of these (i.e.: NE to indicate a wind coming from the North East).
• The double arrow symbol indicates winds with variable directions or breezes (in which case, the direction of the wind varies in a systematic manner during the course of the day/night).
• The bars perpendicular to the arrows describe wind intensity: one bar corresponds to a weak wind, two equals a moderate wind and three a strong wind.

The symbols used to describe the condition of the sea indicate prevalent wave motion (from calm to rough), generally near the coast.

NB. Please note that the symbols used to describe the weather provide a synthetic and schematic summary of the weather conditions which have been forecast. A complete description of the weather forecast is found in the text contained in the bulletin in question.