Martha is measuring the barometric pressure in her back yard every thirty minutes. She records her data in the table below.

Time Pressure
(millibars)
2:00 PM 1012
2:30 PM 1008
3:00 PM 1004
3:30 PM 996

Which of the following weather forecasts is reasonable?
A.
Tomorrow will be sunnier than today.
B.
Next week will be warmer than this week.
C.
A high pressure system is moving into the area.
D.
A low pressure system is moving into the area.

1 answer

Based on the data Martha collected, the barometric pressure is decreasing over the time intervals recorded (from 1012 millibars at 2:00 PM to 996 millibars at 3:30 PM). A falling barometric pressure typically indicates that a low-pressure system is moving into the area, which is often associated with stormy or unsettled weather.

Therefore, the reasonable weather forecast based on Martha's data is:

D. A low pressure system is moving into the area.