What is an Azores High and how will it affect our weather this weekend?
IRELAND IS BRACED for sunshine this week as the temperature is set to soar to up to 25 degrees. Met ireann has confirmed that the country is set for Mediterranean-like conditions nationwide from 16 July due to a weather phenomenon known as the Azores High. This week, an Azores High is building up towards Ireland moving northwards from the west of Africa and Western Europe, and its bringing with it warm air, clear skies and light wind, Mt Eireanns Head of Forecasting Evelyn Cusack told The Journal. Named after the islands off the coast of Portugal, an Azores High is a large atmospheric high-pressure centre that builds up over the subtropical region. Normally in Ireland, our weather comes in from the North Atlantic brought in by the Atlantic jet stream, Cusack said. The jet stream is a channel of high-altitude winds that crosses the Atlantic from west to east, and brings with it the type of bad weather that we have been experiencing recently. For the last few weeks, it has been a bit disappointing. There has been warm sunshine at times, but weve had bands of cloud and rain that have been breaking through from the Atlantic on the jet stream, Cusack said. #Open journalism No news is bad news Support The Journal Your contributions will help us continue to deliver the stories that are important to you Support us now  This is set to change later this week, when the Azores High moves towards Ireland. High pressure is often called a blocking high because it blocks out the Atlantic weather and keeps fine, dry, settled weather over the area its blocking. In this case, it looks like a blocking high is going to set up over Ireland, Cusack added.