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 ...

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.

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.