TWO REX BLOCKS & AN OMEGA

When an area of high pressure sets up over a closed low, westward propagation of storm systems drastically slows down. This feature of a High over a Low is known as a Rex Block. There are presently two of these features showing up on the 500mb northern hemispherical upper air chart.

Look for the Blue H and the Red L on the above map. There’s one over the central Pacific and one over the Mediterranean. Long range forecast models follow suit rather nicely with a quiet week across the states. A set up for severe weather is not imminent at this time.

The yellow line highlights another blocking pattern that’s also apparent called an Omega Block. It consists of a High flanked by two Lows and gets its name because the shape of the flow resembles the Greek letter Omega. This is superimposed with the Pacific Rex. It’s almost like a block within a block! This just further re-enforces a tranquil weather pattern over the next week to ten days or so.

We shall see what the end of the month has in store, but for now, I can almost hear the crickets chirping!

*HINT (a tip if the entire chart is not visible)

*Try right clicking on the picture and saving it to a folder. Once it’s saved you should be prompted to open up the file. Click “open”. You will now be able to view the entire chart.

Posted by Ted Zarras at 4:30 PM