The New Year started really cold, but it’s only supposed to be the onset of real winter with snow driftswhich, according to forecasts, should last at least until mid-January. Meteorologists from the portal believe that the onslaught of arctic air should be responsible for the cold weather.
Winter weather should dominate in Europe at least in January. “After the arrival of the new year, meteorological models have switched significantly to winter mode, with a strong arctic wave now affecting almost two-thirds of Europe,” experts say, which will bring significant cooling and numerous snow showers in many areas.
The arctic wave is about to hit a wide area. “It will cause multiple winter storms from the Mediterranean to the Balkans, accompanied by blizzards, deep snow and freezing cold,” they predict, but arctic air is also expected to penetrate North Africa, bringing snow to parts of Spain and Algeria.
According to the latest models, temperatures should drop by 12 to 15 °C below the long-term average and remain at this level until at least mid-January. Meteorologists warn that such harsh weather can cause complications. The atmospheric situation over the North Atlantic and Europe has fundamentally changed.
The previously gradual airflow was sudden replaced by a classic high pressure system at high latitudes known as the “Greenland Block”. This large-scale high acts as a meteorological “plug”, forcing deep pools of Arctic air to move south over Europe. The result is a long-term disruption of the Polar Vortex, which creates the conditions for an extended period of dominance of winter weather on the continent.
Another one is expected in the west of Europe a secondary, deep Atlantic winter storm that will hit this part of the continent late next week and into the weekend. In areas where the season started unusually mild, snow may also fall in lowlands and cities where it is usually rare.
