Meridional Flow

Spring is officially here, however someone forgot to tell that to Mother Nature. We remain under a very active pattern as we continue into late March and early April. This is because we are in a meridional flow pattern.

Meridional flow occurs when there are highly amplified troughs and ridges. Troughs and ridges are formations in the jet stream flow. These troughs and ridges are displayed by the red (ridges) and black (troughs) dashed lines on the following graphic.

So how does this flow affect our weather at the surface? This type of active pattern will develop a series of low pressure systems over the region, which will bring in rounds of precipitation. This can also bring a few days of warmth, followed by a few days of cold weather after a cold front passes through.

So how long will this pattern stay intact? That’s hard to say, but it doesn’t seem to break down anytime soon. This leads me to believe we could still see some cold temperatures into April. However, one thing to keep in mind is that the days are getting longer, which means our temperatures will generally begin to increase. This is good news to everyone!