Weather systems are a set of temperatures, wind,pressure and moisture conditions for a certain geographical that moves as a unit for a certain period of days. In the Artic cold, dry air, at the equator the air is hot and humid, in between is where the weather becomes more changeable.
Weathr cells, such as the Hadley cell are the main driving forces that produce weather systems experienced in North America. In the following diagram
Here is a Current Weather Map
What we wish to investigate is what do all the symbols mean and what do they tell us.
A simple explination for this map is here
More information on H and L can be found at USA Today Weather Basics
Fronts: three main types
Cold front | Warm front | Stationary front
Fronts are the boundaries between areas of high atmospheric pressure and low atmospheric pressure that typically bring unsettled weather.
Cold Front
A cold front has cold air behind it that pushes abruptly underneath the warm air it encounters. As the warm air is forced upward, water vapor condenses into clouds and rain, which can sometimes be heavy along the front.
A cold front, noted on weather maps by this symbol, is often characterized by quick changes and steady precipitation, followed by showery precipitation.
More information can be found at USA Today Weather Basics
Warm Front
A warm front has warm, moist air behind it that rises over the colder air it encounters. Rain may fall behind the front as the warm, rising air condenses.
A warm front, noted on weather maps by this symbol, generally has a long frontal boundary -- the area where changes occur.
More information can be found at USA Today Weather Basics
Stationary fronts occur where warm and cold air meet but neither wins out. Unsettled weather can occur over a wide area near the frontal boundary.
More information can be found at USA Today Weather Basics
Occluded fronts form as warm air is caught by a cold front cutting it off from a low. When this happens, the upper airflow no longer pulls air away from the low-pressure area.
A complete explination can be found at the University of Illinios
More information can be found at USA Today Weather Basics