RING OF FIRE!

Yes, it's a Johnny Cash song... but, did you know that it's also a meteorological phenomena! So, hit play on the video and read on.

Along the periphery of an area of high pressure, great thunderstorm complexes often develop and some pretty wild weather can ensue. Under the high, subsidence, or sinking motion, precludes clouds from developing and the result is a building of intense heat. This is what we've been experiencing and on a day to day basis as the high builds, our temps slowly creep up. But, along the edge is where all the action is! Along the northern or northwestern side of the high the contrast in temperature is usually greatest and warm humid air meeting cooler air gets lifted and begins what is sometimes a cycle of several hours of intense rain and wind. These great thunderstorm complexes often develop in the late evening and last through the morning hours as low level mixing in the atmosphere winds down and a low level jet winds up. They travel within and are steered by the mean flow or winds around the high, which is clockwise in motion, and arc in a ring like shape. For this reason the name "ring of fire" is often used in describing the activity and the individual complexes or clusters of storms are referred to as "ridge runners".

Posted by Ted Zarras at 9:35 AM