Meteorologist Speak: It's Greek To Me!

If you are curious why the weather is so nice this week...It's an Omega Block!

What? Not sure, what that is? Gee, what a shock! All meteorologists have a tendency to use, what I call, "Met Talk". It's the meteorological jargon that a weatherman will use to prove that we know science. Of course, the problem is...no one really cares!

So, why do we do it? Well, consultants tell us viewers will accept, really demand, some Met Talk. The reason is that research says the audience wants to know that their meteorologist is knowledgeable about the weather. Not for the days like today, but for the severe weather days just around the corner.

Our Omega Block did get me thinking about that Met Talk or phrases used on a daily basis that you might, emphasis might, be interested in knowing more about. So, here we go:

The Omega Block

An Omega Block resembles the Greek letter Omega. An example of this blocking pattern is in the slide show. Air over the Southwest U.S. is forced to the north into Canada and then back south into the Southeast U.S. by the huge high-pressure ridge in the center of the country.

The high pressure covers such a broad latitude that the west to east air flow has difficulty going around the high. The region under the Omega Block experiences dry weather and light wind for an extended period of time while rain and clouds are common in association with the two troughs on either side of the weather pattern.

Cut off Lows

When an upper low pressure system becomes stuck in place due to a lack of steering currents, it is known as being "cut off". The usual pattern which leads to this is the jet stream retreating to the north, leaving the then cut off system behind. It usually leads to an extended period of wet and dreary weather.

A Trough

A trough is an elongated region of relatively low atmospheric pressure, often associated with fronts. A trough is marked as a dashed line. If a trough forms in the mid-latitudes, a temperature difference between two sides of the trough usually exists in the form of a weather front. A trough  is usually less stormy

Ridge of High Pressure

A high-pressure area is a region where the atmospheric pressure at the surface is greater than its surrounding environment. Winds within high-pressure areas flow outward due to the higher density air near their center and friction with land. Winds flow clockwise around a high-pressure area located in the northern hemisphere and counter-clockwise around one in the southern hemisphere. In general, high-pressure areas are associated with drier air as well as clearing skies due to their formation of descending air.

There you have it. Some of the mysteries of weather solved. Of course, that's if you read the paragraphs above. Me? I would've just skipped down here...for the pithy finish!