What Areas in the USA Have the Fewest Barometric Pressure Changes?
Wednesday, October 31, 2007 | | |Honolulu, Hawaii has the least amount of fluctuation in barometric pressure changes in the United States. Although places like Denver, CO may consistently have low pressure, they may also have a greater range of pressure changes. Honolulu’s pressure changes range from 29.34 to 30.32 inches in mercury (993.56 to 1026.75 millibars).
Barometric pressure, also known as air pressure, measures the weight of the air and is affected by many factors. The planet’s gravity consistently weighs down the air, but the temperature, altitude, weather and air density all contribute to pressure changes. Air pressure decreases as altitude increases, due to less dense air and less mass pushing down from above.
Low pressure means that there is less “weight” pushing down. It also indicates that the air is rising and cooling, which helps to form clouds. High pressure means that there is more weight and indicates the presence of sinking air that is warming and has lower humidity. Pressure at higher altitudes is corrected to what it would be at sea level in order to provide a uniform reading.
In the United States, air pressure and pressure changes are recorded in “inches in mercury,” the number of inches that the air pressure forces mercury up a sealed tube. The average air pressure is 29.92 inches in mercury (1013.2 millibars), but dramatic fluctuations in pressure changes have been recorded. The highest air pressure ever recorded in the US was 31.85 inches in mercury (1078.56 millibars) in January 1989 in the city of Northway, Alaska. The lowest air pressure recorded was 26.35 inches in mercury (892.3 millibars) in Key West, Florida.
On the mainland, San Diego, California experiences the least amount of pressure changes. Its barometric pressure ranges from 29.37 to 30.53 inches in mercury (994.58 to 1033.86 millibars). As for the places with the highest number of pressure changes, St. Paul, Alaska ranges from 27.35 to 30.86 inches in mercury (926.17 to 1045.03 millibars). In the lower 48, Charleston, South Carolina has the highest pressure changes, with a 27.64 to 30.85 inches in mercury (935.99 to 1044.70 millibars) range.
Barometric pressure, also known as air pressure, measures the weight of the air and is affected by many factors. The planet’s gravity consistently weighs down the air, but the temperature, altitude, weather and air density all contribute to pressure changes. Air pressure decreases as altitude increases, due to less dense air and less mass pushing down from above.
Low pressure means that there is less “weight” pushing down. It also indicates that the air is rising and cooling, which helps to form clouds. High pressure means that there is more weight and indicates the presence of sinking air that is warming and has lower humidity. Pressure at higher altitudes is corrected to what it would be at sea level in order to provide a uniform reading.
In the United States, air pressure and pressure changes are recorded in “inches in mercury,” the number of inches that the air pressure forces mercury up a sealed tube. The average air pressure is 29.92 inches in mercury (1013.2 millibars), but dramatic fluctuations in pressure changes have been recorded. The highest air pressure ever recorded in the US was 31.85 inches in mercury (1078.56 millibars) in January 1989 in the city of Northway, Alaska. The lowest air pressure recorded was 26.35 inches in mercury (892.3 millibars) in Key West, Florida.
On the mainland, San Diego, California experiences the least amount of pressure changes. Its barometric pressure ranges from 29.37 to 30.53 inches in mercury (994.58 to 1033.86 millibars). As for the places with the highest number of pressure changes, St. Paul, Alaska ranges from 27.35 to 30.86 inches in mercury (926.17 to 1045.03 millibars). In the lower 48, Charleston, South Carolina has the highest pressure changes, with a 27.64 to 30.85 inches in mercury (935.99 to 1044.70 millibars) range.
