Slovakia has extremely challenging weeks ahead of it. Climatologist Jozef Pecho from the regional institute Gospace Labs warns against a dangerous phenomenon that will strike with full force. As the portal informs, the speech is about the so-called “Hot Flash Drought” – a phenomenon known as lightning drought, which brings with it a sharp rise in temperatures and an extreme lack of moisture in a record short time.
The expert explained what the greatest danger of this phenomenon is. “It is a fast-onset drought that can develop within days to weeks. It is caused not only by a lack of rain, but also by high air temperatures, low humidity, more sunshine and sometimes wind, which quickly increase water evaporation from the soil surface, therefore, the soil and vegetation lose water much faster than in a normal drought,” said the expert.
At the same time, he adds that the label “Hot Flash Drought” perfectly describes a situation where extreme temperatures immediately trigger an aggressive drying of the country. “Droughts caused by heat are more dangerous, especially for agriculture and ecosystems, because the damage occurs quickly. In addition, with extreme heat, the drought itself is more pronounced and the recovery from it takes longer.” he explained.
If this dark scenario comes true, A heat wave will hit Slovakia without a drop of rain. According to the European Center for Medium-Range Forecasts (ECMWF) us until the beginning of July a period awaits, which will be above average in terms of temperature and precipitationon the contrary, far below normal. In the first phase, we have to count on daily highs at the level 26 to 32 degrees Celsius, while temperatures can jump even higher.
In the south of the country, the mercury in the thermometer has already climbed to 32 degrees, and the evaporation of water from the soil sometimes reached 106 percent of normal. This brutally speeds up the whole drying process. “At the same time, dry soil overheats faster, so heat and drought reinforce each other,” the climatologist concludes the warning.
