High pressure regains control of the UK and Ireland next week, but do you know how high pressure affects our weather?

The weight of the atmosphere is continuously pressing down on the earth. That’s what meteorologists mean when we talk about ‘air pressure’, it’s the force that the air is exerting on the ground.

As you might guess, in a region of high pressure, the pressure is higher than the surrounding air.

The air within the high pressure is slowly sinking towards the ground. As the atmosphere nearer the ground is generally warmer than that high up in the atmosphere, this means the air is warming as it sinks and this acts to suppress any showers or storms.

Therefore, an area of high pressure often leads to clear skies and sunshine. But a word of warning, high pressure can trap moisture near the surface, giving cloud or fog which refuses to clear.

On the other hand, within a low-pressure system which we have seen many of in recent weeks, the air is rising.

As it rises, it cools and the water vapour within the air condenses to form clouds and rain. The surrounding air attempts to level out the air pressure, by spiralling into the low pressure’s centre.

This is why low pressure usually leads to wet and windy weather.

Check conditions near you at any time on the WeatherRadar.