How can weather stall over an area when the earth continues to rotate?

Question

It seems like the rotation of the earth should prevent weather from becoming stagnet since the land mass continues to move. Why doesn't the area move out from under a weather system?

Answer 1

Remember that the atmosphere moves with the earth, just as you do. And like you, it too can move by itself over the earth. Both the atmosphere and your body are attracted to the earth by gravity.

Answer 2

The atmosphere's response to rotation is called the Coriolis force, which deflects parcels as they move (to the right in the N Hem and to the left in the S Hem). The atmosphere also moves along with the earth's rotation since it is affected by gravity.
The movement of weather systems is actually determined by the wind field. Sometimes a "blocking pattern" develops which keeps systems from moving.,.usually a high pressure over a low pressure. Also, the jet stream (and wind field) can set up in such a way that you will get the same types of weather even though it won't all be the same weather system.

Answer 3

This is highly complex stuff and even the real pros dont have a full grasp on it.

It is to do with vorticity and also the coriolis effect and upper air winds.

At the pole, the earth does not rotate, it just spins. so in essence, you can never move a cloud away as you would just spin away underneath it. At the equator, you rotate, but have no spin. Anywhere in between there is a bit of both.

Now this spin and rotation is a force called vorticity, which in the upper air winds (which form along temperature and pressure gradients) this can cause areas of air sinking and rising (convergence and divergence). In the upper air and area of convergence is typically situated at lower latitued and it propotes low pressures to form in their trough.

At higher altitudes, it promotes higher pressures to form (like over greenland). Now the clue is that since the jet at the pole does not move much, the high pressures associated with it will not either.

The high pressures sitting over places in mid latitudes are just part of the feedback loops to some stagnantation of the jet stream at some point. Elaborate on that and you can answer most pressure questions

Answer 4

Because the rotation of the earth is not the only factor affecting the weather.

There are so many different things pushing or pulling at a mass of air, that it only makes sense that sometimes they all cancel each other out and leave it motionless in relation to ground below for some period of time.

Be patient, sooner or later it WILL change.

Answer 5

The weather system moves with the earth's gravitational pull. However, as the air mass also has it's own winds, it may eventually move beyond where it is located. This is also affected by the earth's topography.

Answer 6

gravity?