synoptic weather observation

synoptic weather observation

[sə′näp·tik ′weth·ər ‚äb·zər‚vā·shən] (meteorology) A surface weather observation, made at periodic times (usually at 3- and 6-hourly intervals specified by the World Meteorological Organization), of sky cover, state of the sky, cloud height, atmospheric pressure reduced to sea level, temperature, dew point, wind speed and direction, amount of precipitation, hydrometeors and lithometeors, and special phenomena that prevail at the time of the observation or have been observed since the previous specified observation.