<p>What is the usual way to report surface  pressure in weather forecasts online, in smartphone apps, on TV/radio? Is it the actual local pressure or the sea-level adjusted value? Does it differ by country? </p>

<p>Update: For example, English Wikipedia article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_pressure" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Atmospheric pressure</a> says mean sea-level pressure is normally given in weather reports. And Russian Wikipedia <a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%90%D1%82%D0%BC%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%84%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B5_%D0%B4%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5" rel="nofollow noreferrer">article</a> says the actual pressure is used. After some research I can say, that English weather websites I've seen report sea-level pressure and Russian weather websites mostly report actual pressure, but some of them report sea-level pressure. </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-04-30T19:37:24.710Z
@gansub: Sigma coordinates? They will usually report the surface pressure, not the sea-level, that wouldn't make sense in mountainous areas.
AtmosphericPrisonEscape
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-04-30T23:42:16.753Z
*Better answers to this question* and so *Better choice for closing as duplicate:* [Why are weather service atmospheric pressures systematically different from those I measure in Johannesburg?](https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/q/7393/6031) @gansub is right.
uhoh
<meteorology>
Atmospheric pressure in weather forecasts: actual pressure or sea-level pressure
Viachaslau Tysianchuk
# Atmospheric pressure in weather forecasts: actual pressure or sea-level pressure

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-04-29)

What is the usual way to report surface pressure in weather forecasts online, in smartphone apps, on TV/radio? Is it the actual local pressure or the sea-level adjusted value? Does it differ by country?

Update: For example, English Wikipedia article on [Atmospheric pressure](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_pressure) says mean sea-level pressure is normally given in weather reports. And Russian Wikipedia [article](https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%90%D1%82%D0%BC%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%84%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B5_%D0%B4%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5) says the actual pressure is used. After some research I can say, that English weather websites I've seen report sea-level pressure and Russian weather websites mostly report actual pressure, but some of them report sea-level pressure.

**Tags:** meteorology

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: @gansub: Sigma coordinates? They will usually report the surface pressure, not the sea-level, that wouldn't make sense in mountainous areas.  
> **username_2**: *Better answers to this question* and so *Better choice for closing as duplicate:* [Why are weather service atmospheric pressures systematically different from those I measure in Johannesburg?](https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/q/7393/6031) @gansub is right.  

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