During the cool season, the weather is almost never quiet in the northeast United States for very long. Much of the cold air that originates in the Canadian arctic eventually spills southeastward into the eastern United States and Quebec. Meanwhile, Pacific weather systems that cross the country tap the stout moisture supply in the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf Stream waters. In extreme cases, "bombs" form off the Atlantic Coast, marked by extreme deepening of frontal systems and vast plumes of wintry precipitation that move inland. In this example we'll introduce a less dramatic example of an East Coast weather system, though one that is much more common. This weather map depicts an early morning situation in March. Draw isobars every four millibars (996, 1000, 1004 mb, etc.) using the plot model example at the lower right as a guide.
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