Isobars and Wind

[Anthon]

Can anyone please explain why wind direction is more or less parallel to isobars.

 

I would have expected it to be at right angles as that represents a gradient between higher and lower pressures.

On land if you rolled a ball on a hill it would travel at right angles to the contours of a map - not along them!

 

Thanks in anticipation.

[knocker]

http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/%28Gh%29/guides/mtr/fw/grad.rxml