METEOROLOGIST JEFF HABY
This is usually in reference to a fast flow of warm and moist air from the Gulf of Mexico after a period of drier and
cooler weather. A cold front will bring cooler and drier air into the south central and southern U.S. When the
winds shift back to a southerly direction,
dewpoints and temperature will be on the rise. Return flow is especially
evident when an area of low pressure forms or moves into the central U.S. The counterclockwise flow associated with
the low pressure will draw air into it from the south (east and southeast of the low). A low with a particularly
strong
pressure gradient will rapidly draw up warm and moist air from the Gulf. When a strong area of low pressure
is in the central U.S., the region the
low-level jet is found (to the southeast of the low) will be where the best
return flow occurs.
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