The science behind the sunny weather

We’ve seen so many rainy days lately. So why, all of a sudden, has it been sunny? You can thank your calm and quiet friend: “the high.”

No, not like that! The high as in “high pressure.” It’s the opposite of “a low” or “low pressure.” They’re pretty easy to tell apart if you know what you’re looking for.

Low pressure systems spin counter-clockwise. They generally bring clouds, rain, and storms. They do this because air is rushing towards them and it forces air to rise. When air rises, it brings water vapor up to a level of cooler air and makes clouds, and eventually rain and storms with enough moisture and lift.

High pressure systems literally do the exact opposite. They spin clockwise, and air is always moving away from their center. A way to look at it is air always moves from high to low. The atmosphere wants to find balance. So areas of high pressure want to move air to areas of low pressure.

Since air rises around areas of low pressure, it sinks away from areas of high pressure. This causes the air to the air to warm on its way down and since it warms up it also dries out. This means it’s really hard or impossible for clouds and rain to form.

The weather across the eastern 2/3rd’s of the US is currently under the influence of a massive high pressure system. Hence the sunny weather!