Air masses: How does the wind affect our weather?

Our weather is often described as changeable and that's all down to the winds, but how do they influence our conditions?

There are two main factors that influence our weather: our location and our air masses. The UK and Ireland are located between a huge ocean to the west, and a large landmass to the south and east.

We are also situated where six airmasses clash, so we experience a large variation of weather conditions.

Most of our weather comes from the west or southwest because of the predominant upper-level flow, the jet stream, which runs west to east. Consequently, maritime, Atlantic airmasses tend to dominant, bringing unsettled weather.

When our air comes from the south or east, continental Europe, our air is drier. We currently have drier, chillier easterly winds blowing across the UK and Ireland.

From November to April these easterly winds are known as a Polar Continental air mass, and often bring colder conditions, even snow. While in summer, it becomes Tropical Continental and we can receive hot, dry air as the land starts to heat up.

No matter which air mass is currently dominating the weather, stay up to date with the latest conditions with the WeatherRadar, and keep an eye on the temperatures with the TemperatureRadar.