Ridge
Also called pressure ridge, upper ridge, zigzag
Weather-map symbol. A chart convention, not a forecast icon.
Weather-map symbolsRidge meaning
A ridge is an elongated area of higher pressure, the counterpart of a trough. There is no one international ridge glyph in the sources used here.
At a glance
- System
- Synoptic chart convention
- Used for
- Elongated higher pressure
- Not the same as
- The letter H, or a warm front
Elongated higher pressure. The zigzag is a reading aid, not a WMO code.
The name. An elongated area of higher pressure, the counterpart of a trough. No single international glyph is fixed here.
Where it comes from
A high is a center, lettered H. A ridge is that higher pressure stretched out, as a trough is lower pressure stretched out. JetStream’s front lesson does not hand the ridge a triangle or a half-moon. Some classroom maps use a zigzag or a sawtooth so a ridge can be pointed at. This drawing uses a zigzag and labels it as a reading aid. It is not a code in the WWIS icon table and not a station-plot symbol.
The line drawing is original to this cabinet. It is not an agency logo, a vendor icon, or the emoji for the same idea.
Weather
What it means
The pressure field bulges toward higher values along a line. Fair weather is common under a ridge and is not guaranteed by a zigzag. If a map has no zigzag, the ridge may only be visible as the shape of the isobars. Trust the isobars and the H before you trust an ornament a legend does not define.
Questions
What is the symbol for a ridge?
There isn’t one international glyph in the NOAA lessons used here. A ridge is elongated higher pressure. The zigzag on this page is a reading aid so the word has a picture. Isobars and an H are the sturdier marks.
Is a ridge a front?
No. Fronts have triangles or half-moons. A ridge is a shape in the pressure field.
Near this
- TroughElongated lower pressure and a wind shift. Not a front. The dash is a common habit, not a second alphabet.
- High pressureAn H for a high-pressure center. The letter is the symbol. Color is extra.
- IsobarA line joining equal pressure. The number is the pressure. The line is not a front.
- Low pressureAn L for a low-pressure center. Not a rain icon, and not a cold front.
Sources
Named when the entry depends on a text, a date, or a standard. Catalog numbers are not invented.
Your margin
Private. It stays in this browser and never joins the canon.
symbol.wiki, edited as Sigilla. Last reviewed 18 October 2026. A reading of public tradition, not a ruling.