Azores High

[Tip]

From the looks of the most recent surface map the Azores High is fairly strong at 1030 mil. Note how it is depressing the ITCZ well to the south.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/tafb/ATSA_12Z.gif

[cycloneye]

That is one of the factors the ITCZ is not too active as it normally is at this time of the year being almost mid july and the other factor is the dry air supressing convection.Also surface pressures are somewhat above normal in the tropical atlantic.

[Anonymous]

True and that high being so strong could keep East coast troughs from recurving CV storms later this year and aim them towards the US Mainland instead.

[Weatherboy1]

One thing worth pointing out: The Azores high is somewhat strong and causing a dry air outbreak in the Atlantic. BUT, when you couple that surface high with anticylconic upper level air flow, you get a zero- or close-to-zero shear environment. And lo and behold, shear has evaporated through most of the tropical Atlantic:

http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/tropic/real- ... g8sht.html

This could be VERY significant. If the atmosphere moistens up and you get a strong wave or two in the Atlantic, there may be nothing to prevent significant development from occurring. We'll see what the environment looks like in 3 or 4 weeks. If it's the same as now, you could see a couple of major CV-type canes.

[Derecho]

If you didn't have the Azores High too strong/too far South a lot, and outbreaks of Saharan Air Layer, then the Atlantic would be...

Well, it would be the Western Pacific, and we'd be going though all the names to Z and then back to the As again every year.