A dome of high pressure currently sits over the eastern U.S. As occurs throughout the Northern Hemisphere, winds move clockwise along the outer edge of the dome, producing weather effects in concert with the underlying topography and geography.
Indeed, the flooding rains that have plagued Louisiana and East Texas this week have been the result of those winds moving over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, sweeping in copious moisture that has interacted with a stationary front to produce torrential rain and thunderstorms. On the east side of the dome, the winds are blowing southward along the Eastern Seaboard and, here in South Florida, they curve westward across the peninsula.
We are thus on the dry side of the dome, where the winds have been moving over land before heading offshore. Should the high pressure drift southeastward, over the Atlantic, we could find ourselves in its fire hose of Gulf moisture. For now, we'll enjoy the warm, breezy and sunny weather.
