Weather can feel stuck on repeat due to omega and rex blocks in the atmosphere.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ever feel like the weather’s stuck on repeat — sunny for days, or rain that just won’t quit?
It might not be a glitch in your forecast. It could be a jam in the sky.
There are two major culprits behind stalled-out weather: the omega block and the rex block.
Picture the Greek letter omega in the jet stream. This is a pattern where a ridge of high pressure gets wedged between two low-pressure systems, like a semi truck double-parked on the weather highway.
That ridge of high pressure generally leads to clear, sunny skies, but on the low side, storm systems get stuck spinning in place, dumping rain day after day.
The key with an omega block? Everything slows down. The jet stream’s normal west-to-east flow gets diverted, and weather systems can barely move.
Now over to the rex block, another stubborn pattern. But unlike the omega block, a rex block is stacked vertically instead of horizontally.
In a rex block, a high-pressure system parks itself directly north of a low-pressure system. The high up top keeps things dry and warm, while the low down below gets stuck churning out clouds, cool air and moisture.
They can bring extended droughts, floods, or even heat waves, depending on where you’re caught.
So next time your weather feels stuck on repeat?
It could be an omega or rex block jamming up the atmosphere.
Contact Bekah Birdsall at rbirdsall@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
