Large Ridge of High Pressure to Continue to Dominate our Weather

A very large ridge of high pressure will continue to dominate our weather for the next 5 days. Around Thursday that ridge will begin to flatten which will allow unsettled weather and minor troughing to take place just before next weekend. We could even see an inside slider, but at very least we will see some wind make it down to the valley floors and mix up what will become some very poor air quality. If you live in the mountains, it is going to be a beautiful week.

Here is what we are up against. Notice the ridge of high pressure and how steep it is. Basically folks, that is the jet stream and all storms are going to go right around the ridge:



This ridge is also keeping pretty cool air in our area as the rotation of the winds is clockwise which is bringing cool air down from Canada.

Somewhere around Thursday and into Friday, the ridge will begin to flatten out, which should allow some minor troughing to come into our area in the form of wind and even possibly a little snow. More cool air will come down from the north. This is a good thing, because this ridge is creating pretty deep valley inversions which is trapping the air. As the week moves on, air quality will worsen. So getting the ridge to flatten out should bring some wind to valley and clean things up.

Here is a look at the Jet Stream on Thursday, notice how the ridge has flattened out and moved west into the Eastern Pacific:


The big question is will this usher in a pattern change? As our ridge heads west, will it open the storm door? Currently the models are saying no, that the ridge will move right back into place. However, we are talking 8-10 days away, so at least there is a chance for some storms to knock that ridge out to sea and allow us to get some precip.

Looking at the long range models, there still appears to be a chance of some storms making into our area around the week of Christmas. Although I do not see any mega storms. The chance I see of a major shift to our weather pattern comes in the first week of January, when things could get interesting.

Of course I have always said that Ma Nature has the last word. If she decides to change her mind, we will let you know.

Stay Tuned ...