The weather right now is PERFECT. High temperatures in the mid-sixties (degrees Fahrenheit) plus plenty of sunshine equal my ideal fall days. This weather is all thanks to a ridge (area of relatively high pressure) which is situated over the western US. Conversely, there's a nice trough (area of relatively low pressure) over the eastern US. This is a very common pattern; we can see it in the climatology! Below is an image of the GFS forecast of the 500 mb geopotential heights in black contours (and the mean sea level pressure in white contours) at 0Z tomorrow, Tuesday, October 21 (which corresponds to tonight at 6 pm). The GFS (Global Forecast System) is one of many numerical weather prediction models. According to the National Weather Service, the geopotential height is "roughly the height above sea level of a pressure level. For example, if a station reports that the 500 mb height at its location is 5600 m, it means that the level of the atmosphere over that station at which the atmospheric pressure is 500 mb is 5600 meters above sea level. This is an estimated height based on temperature and pressure data." For simplicity's sake, I'm just going to point out the clearer black lines--the 500 mb geopotential height lines. Notice how they curve up over the coastal western US and curve down into the eastern US. That's the ridge and the trough I mentioned earlier!

(Analysis courtesy of weather.rap.ucar.edu.)

Anyway, I've been having a lot of fun picking out cute fall outfits thanks to this ridge! It seems as though it isn't going anywhere at least for a week, so I'm super excited to try some new outfits out! Below is what I picked out for today. I'm trying to incorporate dresses and tights into my fall wardrobe more than I did in the past (which was pretty much never).

Airport Greeting Cardigan in Charcoal: ModCloth | Dress: American Eagle Outfitters | Tights: H&M | Shoes: Minnetonka Moccasin via Nordstrom Rack | Earrings: Forever 21

Ridging in the west