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 7 am yesterday through 7 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.

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.