Scotland weather forecast: What is anticyclonic gloom and why is it so grey?

The skies are grey, the temperatures have dipped and fog is widespread.

Although it isn’t all doom, it is very much gloom, with dry but cloudy conditions set to continue this week.

It means looking up and seeing a dark sky above us, unless you hike your way up one of Scotland’s many mountains, where you’ll be treated to crystal clear, sunny views across a sea of clouds.

This time last week we were in the aftermath of our first storm of the season, Storm Amy.

This week is beginning with high pressure in charge of our weather, and high pressure is normally the preferred pressure, the good pressure.

But over the next few days, it’s actually acting as a sort of bubble that traps all the moisture, low cloud and fog underneath it and the proper name for this is anticyclonic gloom.

Anticyclonic gloom

This is the term given to a series of days with endless grey skies and low clouds caused by the moisture trapped under the blocking high pressure.

Germany has its own word for this – dunkelflaute, which is their word for a period of time where no energy can be generated from wind or solar power because there is neither wind or sunlight.

Here in Scotland, we call it dreich.

These conditions look set to continue throughout this week and into the weekend, as the high pressure remains firmly in charge of our weather.

Not until next week will we start to see any significant rainfall again.