Atmospheric Traffic Jam

Towards the end of the week we’re watching a new pattern shaping up in our area. The jet stream is lifted north giving us a ridge of high pressure. On Friday, a spoke of energy riding that jet will slip south and lose the grip of that steering wind. With that drop southward, it slips under that ridge to induce a blocking pattern.

This particular setup is a Rex Block. In between the High and Low, the wind is moving easterly, which counteracts the natural Westerlies at our latitude. This keeps the wind butting heads and we end up with similar conditions for days on end until that pattern eventually breaks down. The long range shows that as just after Memorial Day.

Sometimes we’re stuck with rain and clouds, this time with the high overhead, we’ll be seeing clearer skies prevailing and mild temps.