MACON, Ga. — A brutal heatwave in the Pacific Northwest has broken many high temperatures over the past few days. This heatwave is caused by an upper level high pressure system. The jet stream "buckles" around this high pressure system, making the shape of the Greek letter Omega, so in the meteorology world, we call this type of system an "Omega Block."
All of the air underneath this high pressure system is hot and dry. That is why places like Lytton, British Columbia in Canada could see temperatures as high as 120 degrees today. Portland, Oregon also smashed its all time high temperature when the city hit 112 degrees on Sunday.
The heat in the west is connected to the below average temperatures that we will see here in central Georgia. As that high pressure system moves east, it will cause the jet stream to dip south in our area. This dip, or what we call a "trough," is usually associated with cooler temperatures and rainy to severe weather.
Because of this, for the Fourth of July Weekend, temperatures will be well-below average for this time of year in central Georgia. High temperatures could dip down to the mid-80s.
And that is how the Pacific Northwest heatwave and the cooler than average temperatures in central Georgia are all connected!