Every day many of us see weather maps of one sort or another, either in newspapers or on television. Usually the maps that you see are synoptic maps which bring together certain aspects of prevailing weather patterns to give a general view of the weather at that time. rn This book is intended to improve your understanding of synoptic weather maps. It attempts to explain the basic processes that contribute to certain weather patterns, to show how these weather patterns may be indicated on a map, and to explain how the patterns affect the weather in different parts of Southern Africa.