Why So Breezy & Chilly This Week?

A cold front has moved through the Stateline this morning, and that is allowing the winds to shift from south to northeast. This means much cooler air is filtering into the region from the north. These winds will continue all week and will be blustery essentially for the entire period through the weekend. But why is that the case?

Well, it is because a low pressure system (Tropical Storm Joaquin) is going to get caught up with a cold front along the east coast and stall out. That, in tandem with a high pressure system moving in from the north, is going to create an area with a tight gradient (the region in cyan on the map above). Basically, a tight gradient is an area where winds are stronger because there are differing pressures (highs and lows) on each side of the gradient.

The fact that the low is going to stall out means the high pressure system will have nowhere to go. Therefore, we are going to remain in the blustery region of this setup through the entire week when the low on the east coast finally begins to move northward.