Massive Atlantic 'anticyclone' steers storm into Eastern Canada
Abnormally high pressure developing through early next week, but what does that mean for weather in Eastern Canada?
An abnormally strong and large high pressure system is forecast to dominate the north Atlantic Ocean from Atlantic Canada to Europe -- an area spanning 6,000 km.
High pressure systems are common in the north Atlantic and are sometimes called the "Azores High." It is a large subtropical semi-permanent centre of high atmospheric pressure, usually found south of the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean. These systems can influence the weather patterns of vast areas, and the central pressure hovers around 1024 millibars. What's even more rare, is this particular high pressure system will reach 1054 mb, certainly higher than usual for this time of year.
But the question is, how will this type of system affect Eastern Canada's weather in the days to come?
Air circulates clockwise around high pressure and counter-clockwise around low pressure systems. So, depending on where you are in relation to the high and low pressure, they can bring different temperatures and weather conditions.
Eastern Canada will be on the west side of this high pressure system, which will result in southerly winds, and bring in milder air from the south. These warming temperatures, potentially into the mid double-digits, will last longer for Atlantic Canada versus Ontario and Quebec through next week.
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As the winds are being pulled in from the south, this will always steer a low pressure system from the U.S. southeast. Typically, these low pressure systems would get pushed out to sea and only impact the most eastern tip of Atlantic Canada, but with this strong high pressure system in place, it will move the system from south to north, with very little movement to the east, forcing an abnormal track of the low.
This low pressure system will bring periods of rain, wind, milder temperatures, and even some snow to parts of Eastern Canada from Sunday to Tuesday.
