Think back to last week. Sun. Warm temperatures. Whoa! Look how things change! We are now stuck in a dreadful, cloudy, and wet pattern. The same pattern that gave us a prolonged period of sun last week is now giving us a prolonged period of dreariness this week. It’s called an Omega Block.
Look to the image on the left. The blue shading represents the approximate location of the jet stream (fastest moving winds high above the ground). This is the model forecast for Wednesday, 5/18. You can wave to the big blue “H” over the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The nice weather we experienced last week was all as a result of the “H.” Sadly, it’s now pushed to our East. It took it’s sweet time getting there, too.
Now, we are under the influence of the Western side of this “Omega Block” pattern. The black circle centered over Pennsylvania indicates an upper level low pressure system (also marked by the red “L”) that has “cut off” from the main flow. That is, it’s not being carried by the fast moving winds (blue shading).
So, until the latter half of this weekend, we must continue to deal with the effects of this “cutoff low.” Expect times of clouds and times of rain. However, I will say that by Friday, we have the chance for at least a few peaks of sun. The statement sounds dreadful, but it is true. Saturday brings a better chance of sun, and by Sunday, we will be seeing mainly sunny skies with temperatures in the 70’s.
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