What causes the ridiculously resilient Ridge?
This year’s ridging was most likely a response (primarily) to relatively strong La Nina conditions in the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean, as well as anomalous warmth in the tropical West Pacific (consistent with our prior work).
What is the persistent high off California?
The Ridiculously Resilient Ridge, or the RRR for short, is an atmospheric blocking phenomena appropriately named for its tenacity and unrelenting presence within the atmosphere off of California’s coast. A ridge is an area within the atmosphere in which there is unusually high pressure.
What causes high pressure ridges?
This is the upper level extension of a surface high pressure center, which is why ridges are also called upper level highs. Notice the relatively warm temperatures associated with the ridge. This is caused by the northward transport of warmer air in the lower troposphere.
Where is the Pacific High?
The North Pacific High is a semi-permanent, subtropical anticyclone located in the northeastern portion of the Pacific Ocean, located northeast of Hawaii and west of California.
What is the reluctant Ridge?
This high-pressure ridge — aptly named the “ridiculously resilient ridge” — deflects winter storms northward, away from California, according to the researchers. At its greatest extent, the “RRR” stretched along the entire West Coast, from California north to Alaska.
What are Santa Ana winds?
The Santa Ana winds are strong, extremely dry downslope winds that originate inland and affect coastal southern California and northern Baja California. They originate from cool, dry high-pressure air masses in the Great Basin. They often bring the lowest relative humidities of the year to coastal southern California.
What causes the Diablo winds?
The Diablo wind is created by the combination of strong inland high pressure at the surface, strongly sinking air aloft, and lower pressure off the California coast. In both cases, as the air sinks, it heats up by compression and its relative humidity drops.
What is upper ridge?
(Also called upper ridge, upper-air ridge, high-level ridge, ridge aloft.) A pressure ridge existing in the upper air, especially one that is stronger aloft than near the earth’s surface.