We hear about troughs and ridges all the time in our daily forecasts. These features high in the atmosphere are responsible for the vast majority of the weather we experience down here on the ground.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Meteorologists study the upper levels of the atmosphere to better understand troughs and ridges, which helps them predict both day-to-day weather conditions and long-range patterns.

If you’ve watched a weather forecast, you’ve probably heard terms like ridge, trough, or even southwest flow. They might sound technical, but they’re actually ...

When you look at the atmosphere over a long period of time, it appears to move like a fluid. And just like a fluid, the atmosphere often moves in waves. In meteorology, we call the low points in ...

You’ll hear it fairly often in forecasts, any may have heard it right before it rained: an “upper-level trough” is on the way. The news may be accompanied by colorful charts. It may not be apparent ...

A: Both terms refer to conditions in the air, says Brent McRoberts of Texas A&M University. "Air is usually associated as being part of a mass that is high pressure or low pressure," he explains. "A ...