After the south of France, it was Spain’s turn to experience one of the biggest weather disasters in its history: powerful storms dumped unprecedented rainfall in a short period of time. In question, a blocked weather situation and a particular type of storm.
More than 60 victims have been reported this Wednesday, and the number is getting worse by the hour. The rain event that has just ravaged the area. ValenceValence One of the three biggest hits since the records began. Weather reportWeather report According to the Spanish weather service.
After 1982 and 1987, the bad weather at the end of October 2024 was caused by an incredible accumulation of rain: while the Valencia region averages 400 to 800 mm of rain throughout the year, it fell over 340 is In some cities (such as Chiva) mm in 4 hours and about 500 mm in one day. This was not the equivalent of a month or two of rain, as in the classic Mediterranean episodes, but a year’s worth of rain, or nearly so, in just one day! However, the record of November 3, 1987 was not beaten, with 800 mm in 24 hours!
Devastating V-shaped storms worthy of the Great American Plains.
The Spanish weather service had put several areas on red alert due to the phenomenon of Dana, a type of cold snap in the Iberian Peninsula, but the intensity of the storm was stronger than expected. Drops of cold, with depressionthe windthe wind Cold at high altitudes is known to be responsible for severe weather in Europe. But as far as Spain is concerned it remained blocked in the area, caught between the Azores anticyclone over France and another anticyclone over the west.
Under this cold drop, violent, very rainy storms are common and France has paid the price in the past. But in Spain’s case, it was very specific storms that caused the devastation: V-shaped storms, as their shape shows on satellite images.
These storms are strengthened by the presence of the jet stream and the presence of mountainous regions. They are very high in the atmosphere (more than 18 km, as in the United States), full of moisture, stationary and self-propelled: the currents they generate carry them in warm, humid air for several hours. suction, which then allows them to dump torrential downpours over the same area much longer and with much more intensity than a normal thunderstorm.
gave The heatThe heat water from The Mediterranean SeaThe Mediterranean Sea clearly played a role:
- By making a huge On the contraryOn the contrary Of Happened on a large scaleHappened on a large scale With chills of depression. The water temperature on the coast of Spain, with a temperature of about 21 °C, was explosive in contrast and thus formed storms.
- By providing a large amount ofEnergyEnergy (in the form of moisture associated with water vapor) that fueled V-shaped storms.
Many StormStorm Some were even formed under storms (see below).
Giant hail also caused widespread damage.
Will cause cold drop. resistanceresistance from Friday to Saturday and will continue to cause violent protests in many areas of Spain and Portugal.
