Published: April 6,2020
A big hole appeared in cloud cover over the North Pacific Ocean at the center of this satellite image from Sunday, April 5, 2020.
Satellite imagery captured a strange sight over the North Pacific Ocean on Sunday: amid plenty of cloud cover, a big hole of clear skies appeared.
That hole in the cloud cover was a large high-pressure system.
High pressure is associated with sinking, dry air, resulting in an absence of cloud cover and any significant weather. Conditions are typically sunny with light winds when an area of high pressure is in control.
The visible satellite image at the top of this article – obtained from CIRA/RAMMB at Colorado State University – is centered on this big cloud-cover hole south of Alaska on Sunday. Clouds are shown in white, and the big blue area at the center of the hole is the water of the North Pacific.
(MORE: Satellite Imagery Shows How Tropical Cyclone Harold Quickly Intensified and Pummeled Vanuatu)
A similar hole in the clouds was captured by NASA's Aqua satellite on June 5, 2012, off the coast of Tasmania to the south of Australia.
A large area of high pressure resulted in a big hole in cloud cover off the coast of Tasmania on June 5, 2012.
NASA said the cloud hole had a diameter that stretched as far as 620 miles across. Globally, the average sea-level pressure is about 1,013 millibars; At the center of that high-pressure system near Tasmania eight years ago, the pressure surpassed 1,040 mb.
Winds generally blow outward and away from areas of high pressure, resulting in the sinking air. When air sinks, it also warms, increasing the rate of evaporation. This makes it difficult for the air to sustain clouds because it is so dry.
In contrast, areas of low pressure have rising air, which generates clouds and stormy weather.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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