Every year we are noticing more the effects of climate change on meteorology. The storms and gusts of wind are increasingly intense and with strange behavior than normal. In this case, the storms Aline and Bernard have had serious consequences for the entire Iberian Peninsula. Experts say that storm behavior is changing due to climate change, and this can be related to the effects of global warming. Furthermore, these types of extreme phenomena could influence the cities that could disappear due to global warming.
In this article we are going to tell you what the consequences of storms Aline and Bernard have been and why climate patterns are changing.
Storms Aline and Bernard
After the passage of storms Aline and Bernard, the consequences consisted of multiple cases of flooding, strong gusts of wind and significant damage. A notable record was set by the storm Aline, since the Madrid-Retiro meteorological station reported an unprecedented 114 mm of rainfall in a single day. This is the first time since data was first collected in 1920 that the station has recorded more than 100 mm of rain. Furthermore, that day's rainfall marks the heaviest rainfall in Madrid since at least 1860, when looking at data from other, older stations. This not only highlights the need to be prepared for major storms, but also underscores the reality of How to adapt our agricultural practices to climate change.
The wind record at Córdoba – Airport was also notable, breaking its all-time high streak from December 1989. However, it raises the question of whether such consequences are common for storms of this magnitude, and whether they can be linked to the increase in flooding that endangers millions of people within 25 years. To better understand this phenomenon, it is relevant to consider future floods that could threaten millions.
Over the previous weekend, the southwestern region of the country experienced the effects of an unusual storm named Bernard. According to eltiempo.es, this storm broke the previous record for temperature readings. minimum pressure in a 50-year data set with a measurement of 988 hPa. Additionally, wind gusts exceeded 100 km/h and the storm displayed characteristics similar to those of tropical systems, with a lack of frontal systems and cloud organization surrounding the center of circulation at lower elevations.
Once it entered land, the storm quickly lost its source of energy, which was the sea. As experts clarify, the low pressure system was supported by warmer than average Atlantic Ocean waters, with anomalies that reached up to 3ºC more than the typical temperature for this time of year. This contributed to an increase in humidity levels. This highlights the need for initiatives that help mitigate the effects of climate change, as mentioned in the article on green infrastructures that help adaptation.
Early Autumn Storms
The initial storms of the fall have taken meteorologist Juan Jesús González Alemán of the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) by surprise. It was reported on the social network X that 'Bernard', the most recent storm, looks more like a tropical cyclone than a typical storm. The meteorologist presents "compelling evidence" to support this hypothesis, including a simulation of the storm's behavior. Bernard's "physics and dynamics" are more typical of a tropical cyclone and, as the expert points out, These types of storms tend to dissipate quickly after making landfall.
According to the meteorologist, the storm named 'Bernard' has been atypical and its intricate nature has caused problems for meteorological models trying to predict it. The storm's rapid deterioration highlights the importance of physical processes of heat and moisture exchange/evaporation between the ocean and the cyclone energy. This is not typically observed in storms and is more common in tropical cyclones, so it is critical to understand how cities might adapt to these changes. This topic relates to the article that discusses the effects of climate change on health.
Peculiar storms Aline and Bernard
The peculiar storm Bernard has been moving away from the peninsula towards the north. Despite this, a new front is expected to arrive from the west and cross the peninsula, bringing with it rainfall that could be locally intense in Andalusia. Early on Tuesday, the front could activate and generate storms in the eastern areas of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. According to tiempo.es, The yellow warning will be activated on the islands for rainfall greater than 20mm in one hour. It is expected that on Tuesday the Atlantic will give way to another front, accompanied by a storm that will have its center further north and will not touch the peninsula. The front will cross the country to the East, causing precipitation in the northwest quadrant. In the Cantabrian Mountains There is even the possibility of snowflakes falling above 2.000 meters.
According to the weather information website, a vast area of low pressure is expected to develop across the British Isles. Additionally, Spain is forecasting the arrival of new fronts, expected to arrive consecutively on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The busiest day of the week is forecast to be Thursday, with strong gusts of wind forecast in several regions of the country due to the southwesterly wind. The heaviest accumulations of the week are expected in Galicia, as well as other regions bordering the Cantabrian Sea and the Pyrenees. This could increase concerns about the climate change and its implications.
Will we continue with storms?
The carousel of storms will leave Spain flooded and it will rain almost every day in many places on the map. Rainfall will exceed 100 mm in some areas. The second front has entered Galicia this week and the rains are advancing towards the northwest of the peninsula. In Galicia A yellow alert is activated if the accumulation exceeds 40 millimeters in 12 hours.
The front will continue to advance and, although it is not expected to reach the Mediterranean, rainfall may also be intense, except in Galicia, on the southern side of the central system. In the Cantabrian Mountains, between 2.000 and 2.300 meters of altitude, some snowflakes may remain. These types of phenomena reinforce the idea that we need strategies to tackling climate change.
We will have a large area of low pressure over the British Isles, with another front arriving in Spain on Wednesday. This will leave the Cantabrian and Galicia area with potentially intense rainfall towards the end of the day, influenced by southwesterly winds.
On Thursday a new front will arrive that may be the most active of the week, although the chances of rain in the Mediterranean are once again less likely. Heavy rainfall is possible in areas such as Galicia, the Cantabrian communities and the southern slopes of the Pyrenees.
Southwesterly winds are also likely to bring mixed weather to much of the peninsula's interior and coast. On the northern plateaus Gusts may exceed 70 or 90 km/h, so warnings will also be activated.
During the last part of the week, the peninsula will continue to be affected by the arrival of the new front. Despite increased uncertainty, new rainfall is expected and the slope of the Atlantic Peninsula will continue to increase.
