I have had a couple of people ask me why we have been so cool for the end of June and the first part of July. My first answer was don't complain - it'll get warm eventually. My next answer was because of the "roadblock high" out over the Atlantic. I figured an explanation was in order to get the quizzical looks off people's faces.
It's an upper air thing. I will let an acquaintance of mine who is an expert explain it - far better and more concise than I can:
We have had a blocking pattern in place. which like it sounds means the atmosphere is blocked up. Nothing is moving and the pattern has been stuck. These patterns can bring hot and very dry weather if you are under the ridge, but if you are under the trough or low you get lots of rain. When these happen in the summer you have so much more moisture to work with that the storms everyday can really dump some serious rain. They are also very hard patterns to break in the summer because the jet stream has shifted so far north it takes time to undo these. It appears we might slowly see the Bermuda ridge take over by this weekend.
So there's your answer. That strong high (the H at the right of the globe) is the guilty party. As long as he stays there and hangs tough, nothing will move. We expect this pattern to start resetting sometime after the 4th of July.
My thanks to NBC Charlotte (NC) Chief Meteorologist Brad Panovich for permission to use the graphics and his explanation. Now, next time you hear me mention a roadblock high, now can visualize what I mean. We'll delve into a holiday forecast for you soon.
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