California Weather Blog: Ridiculously Resilient Ridge continues to shatter records, but pattern shift may be approaching

Exceptionally warm, dry, and stable weather conditions have prevailed over California since early December, with precipitation being nearly zero across most of the state.  Instead, we’ve had record high temperatures.  But is the situation about to change?  The California Weather Blog speculates:

gfs_model_forecast.gif“… On quite a few occasions over the past four months, our best atmospheric models have suggested that a pattern change might be in the works: that the “Ridiculously Resilient Ridge” might finally be breaking down or at least moving into a position that would allow from storms to reach California. So far, however, the models have been wrong in every instance: the RRR has remained stronger and more persistent than projected by the models. At the time of this writing, however, there are more convincing signs that there may be at least a temporary weakening and/or shift in the persistent ridging over the East Pacific that would finally allow for some precipitation to reach California for the first time in nearly two months. … “

Find out the short-term and long-term prospects for precipitation from the California Weather Blog here:  Ridiculously Resilient Ridge continues to shatter records, but pattern shift may be approaching

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