Stubborn Clouds, Fog to Spoil Northern Europe Dry Spell

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

February 10,2015; 8:56PM,EST

 

A brief overview of the weather across Europe is given in the above AccuWeather.com video.

Northern Europe is welcoming a break from rain and wind storms, but stubborn clouds and fog are spoiling the dry spell for many.
A large dome of high pressure currently encompasses northern Europe and is blocking the arrival of storms from the Atlantic.
Abundant sunshine and dry weather typically unfold when high pressure is in control. However, when low-level moisture lingers and gets trapped underneath the high, low clouds and fog can form and may be slow to break in some cases.
That is exactly what has happened across northern Europe, preventing residents from Dublin, Ireland, to London, England, to Berlin, Germany, to Warsaw, Poland, to Budapest, Hungary, from enjoying much in the way of sunshine through Wednesday.

"Clearing will come to Berlin Wednesday night and not until Thursday morning for Warsaw as the high pressure moves eastward," stated AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Tyler Roys.
The clouds and fog will persist across the United Kingdom through Thursday before transitioning to higher-level clouds ahead of an approaching storm at night, according to Roys.
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"Through at least Friday, the clouds and fog will be over Hungary and surrounding areas."
Worse than being a disappointment to residents, the clouds will occasionally be accompanied by drizzle and fog. That is especially true in the late-night and morning hours and could cause travel disruptions (both on the ground and in the air) by reducing visibility.
Roys added for those worried about flight delays at Heathrow Airport, "I expect fog and drizzle issues to be more of an issue across western England than the London area."
Across the interior of mainland northern Europe, another danger will arise when temperatures dip below freezing and cause the drizzle or any dense fog to turn untreated surfaces slippery.
While an end to the stubborn low clouds and fog will come later this week and this weekend, the replacement will be a new parade of storm systems and not sunshine across western Europe.
Berlin and Warsaw, however, will enjoy the return of sunshine this weekend with the storms slow to press eastward.