Storm Amelie , the first named storm of the 2019-2020 season, was named by Météo France at 16:00 UTC (17:00 hours) on November 1, when France issued an orange-level gust warning starting at 03:00 UTC on the 3rd. For its part, AEMET issued a category 1 orange warning at 22:00 UTC (23:00 hours) on the same day, because the gusts in Galicia came into effect at 23:00 UTC on the 2nd.
In this article we are going to tell you everything you need to know about the Amelie storm, its characteristics and consequences.
Squall Amelie
Since then, AEMET issued further warnings, both for coastal phenomena (reaching red levels in Asturias, Cantabria, and the Basque Country) and for gusts of wind, all at orange or yellow levels . After a quick passage through the Bay of Biscay, Amelie reached France, causing havoc on the 3rd and 4th.
The Amelie storm was formed throughout November 2 by a process of explosive cyclogenesis over a large area of ​​low pressure in the North Atlantic, approximately at parallel 50ºN and meridian 20ºW, not far from Western Europe. Propelled by powerful jets at an altitude of about 180 knots, Amelie moved rapidly towards France, reaching France around 00.00 hours on the 3rd, especially over Brittany through its center.
That day, until the early hours of the 4th, it affected Western European countries, especially France . During the rest of the 4th, Amelie was absorbed by a major storm that affected almost all of Europe, centered on the British Isles.
As far as Spain is concerned, due to the waves, strong winds and very strong gusts in the Bay of Biscay, even on the 3rd, the rapid passage of the Amelie storm, accompanied by a cold front on its southern side, mainly affected half north of the peninsula with heavy rains and showers from Galicia to the Pyrenees and the central and southern mountains. Amelie's influence reached the Balearic Islands later on the 4th, while the Canary Islands were not affected by her passage.
Storm Amelie Warnings
On the 3rd, the coastal phenomenon affecting Asturias, Cantabria, and Vizcaya triggered a red alert, albeit briefly, due to "strong westerly winds of 10 degrees with gusts expected. The overall sea level in the northwest rose to 8 meters in some areas." A coastal warning was issued for other parts of the Cantabrian coast, Galicia, Valencia, Alicante, and AlmerÃa , while a yellow warning was issued for other areas of the Mediterranean coast, including the Balearic Islands.
The wind gust warning has reached orange level for Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country, Navarre, Catalonia, Castile and León, Castile-La Mancha, the Valencian Community, Andalusia, Murcia, and the Balearic Islands. The wind speed is between 90 and 120 km/h depending on the region. No alerts were issued for other weather phenomena.
Main influence of Spain
The most significant impacts of Storm Amelie were associated with heavy swells in the Bay of Biscay, with waves reaching a height of 10 meters on Sunday, and rain in the Pyrenees . It moved northwest across the country, bringing impressive waves. In Castro Urdiales, Cantabria, the waves exceeded ten meters in height.
The wind, sometimes hurricane-force, was one of the main characteristics of this storm. Wind gusts reached 156 kilometers per hour, as recorded at Estaca de Bares in A Coruña. The waves there were over nine meters high and the sea was choppy . Amelie continued its path along the entire Cantabrian coast, also significantly impacting the Basque Country.
In Bilbao, the waves exceeded nine and a half meters, and in Leketio, the Bay of Biscay was choppy, the wind was so strong that it was difficult to move and the tents were overturned.
Firefighters were forced to intervene. The town center also felt the impact, with strong winds even causing waves in the reservoirs of the town of Navacerrada, near Madrid. Amelie also hit the French coast. In Cap Ferret, wind gusts reached 163 km/h, and the areas of Biarritz and Bordeaux were also affected.
In the Balearic Islands the influence of Amelie was also felt. Strong winds in Menorca and Mallorca left a woman dead after a palm tree fell. The winds brought by Amelie also affected the Valencian community, but in a different way. Temperatures rise due to dry air from the west.
In November, Torrevieja experienced its third tropical night with a low of 20 degrees Celsius . In places like Cullera, it reached 25 degrees, although the temperature dropped slightly.
How a storm forms
It generally begins when a mass of cold, dry air from a polar front moves south. Simultaneously, a mass of tropical air, which is usually warm and humid, moves north . This is the first phase in the development of a low-pressure system.
The next phase is the undulation that occurs when both air masses meet. This undulation intensifies greatly, and the polar air mass moves south. Both air masses carry the front, but the one moving south carries the cold front, and the one moving north carries the warm front.
These are the situations where the most intense rainfall occurs along the cold front. The final stage of storm formation is when the cold front completely traps the warm front, causing it to shrink. Furthermore, it completely isolates the warm front from the rest of the tropical air and eliminates all the moisture it was carrying. By removing the moisture, it also removes its energy.
It is at this point that the occluded front forms and the cyclonic storm develops. This storm will gradually dissipate as the polar front establishes itself. The final phase of the low-pressure system ends with the same types of clouds that appeared during the warm front.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about the Amelie storm and its damage.
