Cold anomaly in Europe 2018

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
High Hartmut, lows Ulrike / Emma and Mediterranean lows
Eastern North Atlantic and Europe: Hartmut via Scandinavia, Ulrike near the Azores, whose air mass border extends from the Iberian Peninsula to Ireland; Mediterranean deep (no name) over Italy (February 26, 2018, NASA / MODIS-Terra)
Eastern North Atlantic and Europe: Hartmut via Scandinavia, Ulrike near the Azores, whose air mass border extends from the Iberian Peninsula to Ireland; Mediterranean deep (no name) over Italy (February 26, 2018, NASA / MODIS-Terra )
General weather situation Scandinavian high with an ingress of polar cold air
storm Cold wave with heavy snowfall
Data
Emergence Mid-February 2018
Climax End of February / March
consequences
affected areas Europe
Victim > 80
Partial phase and The Beast from the East called

The cold spell in Europe in 2018 was a cold snap during the late winter of 2017/2018, which, beginning in the penultimate week of February, caused abnormally low temperatures and heavy snowfalls in large parts of Europe and adjacent areas . The event cost over 80 lives.

meteorology

synopsis

The cause of the event was a strong high pressure area over northern Europe . On its southern flank, very cold and, with the exception of the north, very dry arctic air flowed into Europe from the east . Their formation was likely intensified due to the melting of the polar ice caps . The reason for this weather situation was the split of the polar vortex into two nuclei as a result of a sudden stratospheric warming over the pole. This led to an extreme leveling off of the jet stream and the replacement of the Iceland low by a high ( Hartmut ), while the Azores high was replaced by strong lows, especially Ulrike / Emma . Elevation lows formed in the central to eastern Mediterranean .

With the shift of the polar air masses south from mid-February, extreme cold already prevailed in northern Scandinavia from February 25th . For example, on the night of the 28th in Folldal in Østerdalen ( Norway ) -42.0 ° C, in Dravagen ( Sweden ) -36.1 ° C. Overall, between February 25 and March 1, new cold records were recorded at 21 measuring points in Norway, some of them 47 years old. Temperatures reached as low as −28 ° C in the higher alpine valleys of Switzerland on February 27th.

In some parts of Europe, the temperatures were lower than in the polar region. At the time when there was severe frost in Europe, Cape Morris Jesup on the northern tip of Greenland reported several temperatures below zero. On Iceland and Svalbard there were temperatures of +8 ° C like on the Mediterranean coast of Africa . In the early morning hours of March 1, 2018, Østerdalen in Norway was the coldest place in the world.

In the course of late February, the displaced polar air masses formed a huge anti-cyclonic system that stretched from the Barents Sea to Eastern Siberia , and a high-over-low location emerged over Europe with a shallow depression of the eastern Mediterranean . The Scandinavian high Hartmut developed into an anti-cyclonic storm system, the wind band of which advanced on the southern edge in the last days of February over northern Central Europe and the British Isles to the central North Atlantic . A cold air trough advanced towards the Alpine region . This massive east wind zone was called Beast from the East in the English press . This detailed event became known throughout Europe under the name.

In this first phase there was snowfall on the one hand in the Baltic Sea region and west of the North Sea through the Lake Effect . The Lübeck area reported 25 cm of fresh snow (Bad Schwartau- Groß Parin ). The snowfalls reached as far as Scotland and southern England . In the Alpine, Mediterranean and Black Sea regions , there was heavy snowfall due to the meeting of north-eastern cold currents with more humid southern air masses. This heavy snowfall was concentrated in the Adriatic and reached as far as the Pyrenees , the Côte d'Azur and Corsica , to the coasts of Algeria and Tunisia as well as to southern Italy ( Bari , in the Marche mountains up to 60 cm of fresh snow; otherwise sleet and Thunderstorms) and to western Greece as well as the Danube and Wallachian Plains . Delnice in Croatia reported a record snowfall of 1.8 m. On the upper Adriatic , Bora occurred at hurricane strength ( Krk 150 km / h).

The jet stream shifted abnormally far south to over the Azores , North Africa and Arabia . Before Newfoundland a low that of the Free University of Berlin then formed already on February 25, Ulrike , of the Western European weather services Emma was called. This moved south-east with the jet stream and reached the Iberian west coast at the end of February and then stopped over the Bay of Biscay . This humid air masses collided with Hartmut's Siberian east winds. This created a blizzard- like weather situation over the Celtic Sea , with heavy snowstorms from March 2nd to 3rd in the south of Ireland , in south-east England and parts of Wales . The gusts of wind reached 105 km / h at Leek-Thorncliffe and 90 km / h in Dublin . The fronts of the low reached as far as Italy , with widespread 10-20 cm and up to 50 cm of fresh snow in northern Spain ( Cantabrian Mountains , Pyrenees ), the southern British Isles and the western Alps .

The high Hartmut gradually dissolved in the course of the first days of March. With the advance of the Atlantic air, there was also freezing rain due to precipitation on the cold soils in Central Europe . With an easterly wind there was snowfall in Northern Norway, at times - due to the high amounts of snow - the highest avalanche warning level prevailed .

2018-02-24 CPC weekly temperature anomaly in Europe.png
Temperature anomaly for the week of February 18 to 24: penetration of polar cold air from northeast to northwest Africa.
 Hartmut Feb27.png
February 27, 2018, Central Europe largely free of clouds and aperous, over the Baltic Sea east wind zone with snowy cumulus clouds over the North Sea, air mass limit to Atlantic air off the British Isles; North and Northeast free of clouds and with frost; humid air masses in the southeast; in the southwest and over the Mediterranean the westerly wind of the south-shifted jet stream. (Satellite image, NASA / MODIS-Terra)
2018-03-03 CPC weekly temperature anomaly in Europe.png
Temperature anomaly for the week from February 25th to March 3rd: maximum phase of the cold spell.
 2018-03-01 Germany NASA Aqua-MODIS via Worldview.jpg
March 1, 2018, maximum of high influence: Germany largely free of cloud. Snow in the Baltic region through Lake Effect. To the south-west the dense cloud cover from the low pressure area Ulrike, made up of milder, moist air masses. Cloud roads in the German Bight due to the fading east wind. (Satellite image, NASA / MODIS-Aqua)

climatology

The event was a typical second late winter , a previously normal singularity that had become rare with global warming in the 21st century (regularly occurring deviation from the normal seasonal course). However, more massive cold waves this late in winter only occur every few years, in the Alpine region for example last in 2011 and 2005, and five times in the last 40 years. The intensity of the event is also outstanding in the long-term average: in Norway, values ​​were locally lower than at the beginning of March 1971 ( Tryvannshøgda near Oslo), in southern France some of the lowest values ​​since then, in the Alps the lowest February values ​​since this year. The −5.2 ° C measured on March 1 in Tredegar , Wales, is the lowest daily maximum temperature recorded on a spring meteorological day in the United Kingdom, the previous record (−4.6 ° C in Cassley, Sutherland in Scotland) Measured in 2001. In the high mountains of Switzerland, February was the coldest in 30 years, and in the Western Alps it was also snowy, in Geneva, for example, there was as much snow (19 cm) as was last recorded in March 1959.

The February cold is in particular contrast to the previous January, which was much too warm, for example in Austria it was the third warmest in the last 250 years, after 2007 and 1796 , in Switzerland the mildest since measurements began in 1864, with a record heat anomaly of +6 ° C in Geneva, so far a maximum of +4.5 ° C has been recorded (January was also the fifth warmest worldwide from 1880). The early and high winter were characterized by a NAO positive phase from the beginning of December to the end of February (stable Azores high and Icelandic low locations). This was superimposed by numerous short-period AO index fluctuations (jet stream oscillations), which had led to a series of abnormal storms from autumn to January. At the end of February, however, both the AO and NAO index slipped massively into negative territory.

A low in southwest Europe with a blizzard character (like Ulrike / Emma) was last recorded in January 1982.

The extreme temperature reversal between polar space and moderate latitudes also only occurs every few years, similarly most recently in winter 2013. At the same time, there was an analogous situation in North America, with abnormal cold in the southwest of the USA, warmth on the east coast and in northern Canada and various heavy rainfall.

consequences

Cold deaths were reported in Lithuania , Poland , Germany , the United Kingdom , France , Italy , Slovenia , Romania and Serbia . A total of 84 victims were reported by the end of February.

Traffic obstructions

Sète on the Mediterranean coast of southern France, A9 feeder, February 28th.

In Germany, already in the early phase in the north with snow widespread traffic obstructions and numerous accidents, also in Sweden , in Italy (especially around Rome and Naples ) and in Romania (closure of numerous highways, the Constanta airport and several ports).

The snowfall phase in Western Europe at the beginning of March led to several full closures, as a result of which vehicle occupants were sometimes stuck overnight until the route was cleared of snow and vehicles involved in accidents, for example on the A9 in southern France southwest of Montpellier , the A31 in Hampshire , the A303 near Ilminster in Greater Manchester (closed with wind at the Rakewood Viaduct up to around 145 km / h) or the M80 in Scotland. At least 900 flights were canceled in the UK, the Netherlands, France and Switzerland due to snowfall; The airports in Dublin , Edinburgh , Glasgow , London-Heathrow , -Gatwick , -City , Bristol , Amsterdam , Paris Charles de Gaulle and Geneva were affected . There were also disruptions in British rail transport, especially long-distance services to and from Scotland, where operations were completely suspended; several trains got stuck in the open, and the passengers spent the night in the train, which was partly unheated.

Balkan countries

The highest level of alert was due to the snowfall in eastern Croatia , in parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina (around Bihać and Cazin ) and southern Romania ( Smoljan and Kardzhali ). Around 1,000 soldiers were mobilized in Croatia to clear snow in the hardest hit areas.

United Kingdom and Ireland

This late onset of winter had serious consequences in the United Kingdom and Ireland , where there were heavy Lake Effect snowfalls in Scotland, in the north and south-east of England, while the low Ulrike - called Emma there - heavy snowfalls in the south of Ireland, the south-west of England and led to Wales. The British government used the army and air force to liberate trapped motorists or overnight care and to bring doctors to their missions in off-road vehicles.

The red warning for Scotland / East England and the other red warning for South West England and Wales were only the second and third red wind warnings for a snow storm since the introduction of the three-stage warning system in 2011.

In London alone tens of thousands of households were without water for days because of burst pipes. Supply points have been set up in several places in the city.

Crop damage

Italy was particularly hard hit by agricultural damage. A fifth of the country's total agricultural crops were likely to have been affected, the worst crop damage since the cold spell in 2012 . The heating costs for greenhouses alone added up to 300 million euros.

See also

Web links

Commons : Cold wave in Europe late winter 2018  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Deadly 'Beast from the East' winter blizzard batters Europe . In: Deutsche Welle . February 28, 2018.
  2. ↑ Why global warming is already causing colder winters. Retrieved August 5, 2018 .
  3. ↑ a b "Sudden Stratospheric Warming" - Is the "Dejà-vu-Winter" coming? In: DWD: Topic of the Day , February 21, 2018.
  4. ↑ a b c Temperature rises above freezing near North Pole, as frigid air slinks toward Europe. Andrew Freedman on mashable.com, February 20, 2018.
  5. ↑ a b Forecast for Thursday, February 21, 2018, 12:00 UTC. DWD weather map, website of the Free University of Berlin;
    Weather situation on February 22, 2018, 12 UTC. ZAMG: Current weather map and map archive ;
    Modèles - Archives des réanalyses du NCEP:, Jeudi 22. fêvier 2018, 7:00 am 7:00 pm locale. Meteofrance: meteociel (in particular Température 850hPa and Jet Stream, 330hPa ).
  6. ↑ a b c Unusual cold in the last days of February. ZAMG: Weather News , February 21, 2018.
  7. ↑ a b c d e forecast for Tue 27.02.2018, 12:00 UTC. DWD; Weather situation on February 27, 2018, 12 UTC. ZAMG; Modèles - Archives des réanalyses du NCEP: Mardi 27. fêvier 2018, 19:00 locale. Meteofrance.
  8. ↑ a b c Goodbye winter, ole spring? In: DWD: Topic of the Day , March 5, 2018.
  9. ↑ a b c d e f Photos: Snow blankets Rome and Balkans; More on the way. Eric Leister in: AccuWeather: Wether News , February 27, 2018.
  10. ↑ Folldal kaldest i lands (Vind og kulde i Sør-Norge). In: Norsk rikskringkasting online (nrk.no), February 28, 2018 (update March 1, 2018).
  11. ↑ a b c Kulde Folldal (Kaldest i Europa). nrk.no, February 28, 2018 (update March 1, 2018) resp. 1st March 2018.
  12. ↑ Her var det minus 32.5 degrees i natt. In: Norsk rikskringkasting online (nrk.no), February 26, 2018.
  13. ↑ a b 21 nye norske debt recorder satt i natt. nrk.no, February 28, 2018 (update March 1, 2018).
  14. ↑ a b c Stiff and rigid End of February. In: MeteoSwiss: Blog , February 27, 2018.
  15. ↑ That's why March could also be bitterly cold . In: FAZ online , February 27, 2018. Accessed February 28, 2018. 
  16. ↑ a b c d e f Forecast for Thursday, March 1st, 2018, 12:00 UTC. DWD; Weather situation as of March 1, 2018, 12 UTC. ZAMG; Modèles - Archives des réanalyses du NCEP: Vendredi March 2, 2018, 17:00 locale. Meteofrance.
  17. ↑ a b cold air advection. In: MeteoSchweiz: Blog , February 25, 2018.
  18. ↑ a b The Siberian cold has taken place. In: MeteoSchweiz: Blog , February 26, 2018.
  19. ↑ a b c E.g. Europe freezes as 'Beast from the East' arrives (English) . In: BBC News , British Broadcasting Corporation, February 28, 2018. 
  20. ↑ After a heavy rock album of 1988 ; the name was used earlier, around December 2012 for a northeast current at the back of a Central Europe low (Marie) : The meteorology behind the 'Beast from the East'. MetOffice: Blog , December 7, 2012; See forecast for Mon 10.12.12, 12:00 UTC. DWD / FU Berlin.
  21. ↑ a b The frost has Germany firmly under control. In: DWD: Topic of the Day , February 26, 2018.
  22. ↑ Staying bitterly cold with severe weather warnings for widespread snow at times for many areas this week. MetOffice: News , February 27, 2018.
  23. ↑ a b Point sur la vague de froid en cours. Meteofrance: Actualités , February 27, 2018.
  24. ↑ The bora on the Croatian coast - the somewhat different side effect of long-lasting winter weather conditions over Europe. In: DWD: Topic of the Day , February 28, 2018.
  25. ↑ a b c Forecast for Sun 04.03.2018, 12:00 UTC. DWD; Weather situation as of March 4, 2018, 12 UTC. ZAMG; Modèles - Archives des réanalyses du NCEP: Dimanche March 4, 2018, 5:00 p.m. locale. Meteofrance.
  26. ↑ a b c d Neige en Irlande et au Royaume-Uni. Meteofrance: Actualités , March 2, 2018.
  27. ↑ La nieve irá dando paso a un frío gélido. In: El Pais online, March 5, 2018.
  28. ↑ a b Record-breaking “March Snow” in Geneva. In: MeteoSchweiz: Blog , March 3, 2018 - the maximum snow depth in Geneva since 1959 is 45 cm in mid-February.
  29. ↑ Snøskader for 30 million. nrk.no, February 22, 2018.
  30. ↑ Femdobling i antall reported snøskred. and record number of snøskader - mye dekkes ikke av forsikringen. nrk.no, March 4th and March 10th 2018.
  31. ↑ The late winter or also: The "Russian whip" is late! In: DWD: Topic of the Day , February 24, 2018.
  32. ↑ The first cold records have fallen. apa; in: Oberösterreichische Nachrichten online (nachrichten.at), February 26, 2018.
  33. ↑ a b c d e f g Danny Boyle, Ben Farmer, Vitoria Ward, Katie Morley, Camilla Turner: UK weather: Armed Forces called in as death toll rises to 10 in coldest spring day on record (English) . In: The Telegraph , March 2, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  34. ↑ a b c Winter weather 2017/2018. In: MeteoSchweiz: Blog , March 1, 2018.
  35. ↑ January 2018: extremely mild and a lot of snow on the mountains. ZAMG: Climate News , January 31, 2018.
  36. ↑ January 2018: Earth's 5th Warmest January on Record. Jeff Masters in wunderground.com: Cat6 , February 19, 2018.
  37. ↑ a b c At night it can get cold below minus 20 degrees: Cold claims first deaths: Freezing temperatures still have Europe under control. In: Focus online, February 26, 2018.
  38. ↑ homeless - Four cold dead in Germany. ZDF.de, February 28, 2018.
  39. ^ A b "Beast from the East": Deaths in Serbia and Slovenia. In: die Presse online, February 28, 2018.
  40. ↑ a b Cold wave: Europe quivers. tagesschau.de, February 26, 2018.
  41. ↑ Winter storm: Hospital on high alert after E4 pileup near Stockholm. In: The Local online, February 28, 2018.
  42. ↑ Maltempo, non bastano le previsioni: Roma nel caos. School of chiuse anche martedì. Treni bloccati e alberi caduti. Delrio chiede rapporto Rfi. In: La Repubblica online, February 26, 2018.
  43. ↑ România, 2018: viscol = haos. Claudia Spridon, in: Adevărul online, February 27, 2018.
  44. ↑ Laura Hertreiter: 'It's an apocalyptic situation' , Süddeutsche Zeitung. March 1, 2018. Accessed March 2, 2018. 
  45. ^ Weather-related water problems hit 20,000 London homes. BBC News , March 5, 2018;
    Supply chaos in London - thousands of households without water. n-tv.de, March 5, 2018;
    Thousands without water in London. In: Rhein-Zeitung online, March 5, 2018.
  46. ↑ a b Ortaggi gelati perso 20% del raccolto, uliveti Ko. ANSA.it, March 1, 2018.
  47. ↑ Coldiretti, danni since maltempo per 300 milioni nelle campagne Italiane. Freddo e gelo mettono ko coltivazioni in campo e frutteti. ANSA.it, February 28, 2018.