Cities with Greatest Rise in Barometric Pressure


The following list ranks the biggest increases in barometric pressure today observed amongst our tracked cities. This is determined by finding the widest range between the highest and lowest pressures during the 24-hour period starting and ending at midnight, UTC−08:00 (Pacific Standard Time) in each city and choosing the cities where the time of the lowest pressure occurs before the time of the highest pressure.

Because each reading represents a 24-hour window of an hourly weather forecast, from 8 am yesterday through 8 am today (local time), it is possible that the entirety of the pressure range is not captured in the data. In this case, the green inverted triangle () indicates that the lowest pressure observed during this period was at the start, meaning that the pressure had likely risen from a lower low. Conversely, the red triangle () indicates that the highest pressure observed during this period is at the end, meaning that the pressure will likely rise beyond the upper end of the range observed. Therefore, green and/or red triangles indicate that the total rise is likely to be greater than the amount displayed.


#CityIncreaseLow TimeHigh TimeRate
1Milwaukee, Wisconsin0.77 inHg8 am yesterday7 am0.033 inHg/hr
2Chicago, Illinois0.75 inHg11 am yesterday7 am0.037 inHg/hr
3Minneapolis, Minnesota0.72 inHg8 am yesterday7 am0.031 inHg/hr
4Grand Rapids, Michigan0.7 inHg11 am yesterday7 am0.035 inHg/hr
5Indianapolis, Indiana0.68 inHg2 pm yesterday7 am0.040 inHg/hr
6Columbus, Ohio0.65 inHg7 pm yesterday7 am0.054 inHg/hr
7Des Moines, Iowa0.65 inHg9 am yesterday7 am0.030 inHg/hr
8Detroit, Michigan0.65 inHg6 pm yesterday7 am0.050 inHg/hr
9Cincinnati, Ohio0.65 inHg4 pm yesterday7 am0.043 inHg/hr
10Knoxville, Tennessee0.63 inHg8 pm yesterday7 am0.057 inHg/hr
11Toronto, Canada0.62 inHg10 pm yesterday7 am0.069 inHg/hr
12Cleveland, Ohio0.62 inHg7 pm yesterday7 am0.052 inHg/hr
13Asheville, North Carolina0.62 inHg8 pm yesterday7 am0.056 inHg/hr
14Louisville, Kentucky0.61 inHg4 pm yesterday7 am0.041 inHg/hr
15St Louis, Missouri0.61 inHg1 pm yesterday7 am0.034 inHg/hr
16Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania0.58 inHg8 pm yesterday7 am0.053 inHg/hr
17Buffalo, New York0.57 inHg10 pm yesterday7 am0.063 inHg/hr
18Nashville, Tennessee0.54 inHg7 pm yesterday7 am0.045 inHg/hr
19Omaha, Nebraska0.53 inHg8 am yesterday7 am0.023 inHg/hr
20Sioux Falls, South Dakota0.52 inHg8 am yesterday6 am0.024 inHg/hr
Legend:
= rise began before recorded 24-hour period (8 am yesterday)
= rise continues beyond recorded 24-hour period (8 am today)




The change and rate of change of barometric pressure is perhaps more important than the actual numerical value of pressure. This is why many digital barometric pressure displays show a numerical pressure reading accompanied by an indication of whether the pressure has been “rising” or “falling”. To weather forecasters, increasing barometric pressure is a signal of the arrival of a high-pressure system, which is generally associated with clear skies, calm winds, and lower humidity levels.

To folks who experience arthritis, migraines, or other physical conditions that are sensitive to pressure changes, rising pressure typically feels better than falling pressure, though changes in pressure affect people differently, and stable pressure is generally preferred to larger or more rapid changes in pressure.