hectopascal [hPa] Unit Converter

Definition of hectopascal [hPa] unit

A hectopascal (hPa) is a metric unit of pressure equal to 100 pascals, or 100 newtons per square metre. It is commonly used to express atmospheric pressure because its magnitude conveniently matches typical values near Earth’s surface.

History of hectopascal [hPa] unit

The prefix “hecto-” comes from the Greek hekaton, meaning “one hundred,” and was adopted into the metric system to denote a factor of 100. The pascal, meanwhile, was named for French mathematician and physicist Blaise Pascal and became an SI derived unit in 1971. Meteorologists increasingly favored the hectopascal as an equivalent, modern expression of the millibar: one hectopascal equals one millibar. International weather services adopted it widely, replacing millibars in many contexts while preserving familiar numerical pressure values on forecasts and maps.

Applications of hectopascal [hPa] unit

Hectopascals are used chiefly in meteorology to report atmospheric pressure in weather observations, forecasts, and aviation briefings. Standard sea-level pressure is approximately 1013 hPa, while lower or higher values help identify storms, cyclones, and high-pressure systems. Hectopascals also appear in barometers, weather maps, climate records, and scientific measurements of gas or fluid pressure.

Complete list of hectopascal [hPa] unit conversion