Huge anticyclone over Europe: fog in Czechia, storms in the south

An extensive area of high pressure will form over northern Europe early in the week, pushing cyclones and rainfall further south. According to weather forecasts, the dry and relatively warm weather that has held across most of the continent in recent weeks will persist in many places.

That does not mean Czechia will be sunny and hot: in mid-October, high pressure often brings temperature inversions. In lowland areas, frequent fog and low cloud are possible.

Downpours in southern Europe

It will be different further south. Cyclones will pass along the southern edge of the anticyclone, bringing heavy rainfall to the Mediterranean. Over the weekend, models already point to a risk of very heavy rain and flash floods because of Storm Adam off the Spanish coast. Early in the week, the threat of downpours may shift east, to the south of France and Italy. It will also be noticeably rainy around the Black Sea.

At first, the arrangement of pressure systems will resemble a so-called omega block: an anticyclone sits over the region while flows linked to cyclones wrap around it on both sides. The name comes from the shape of the flow, which resembles the Greek letter omega.

The block may not last

At first it seemed that this situation would last for several days, but according to the latest forecasts, the block may turn out to be short-lived. The anticyclone will gradually shift towards Russia, and from Wednesday the uncertainty of the forecast for Central Europe will grow markedly.

The weather in Czechia will depend on how the cyclone over the Mediterranean develops and on whether the anticyclone can keep Atlantic cyclones at bay. That determines how long the dry and relatively warm weather will last here.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz