Warmer In Scandinavia Than Africa: Snow Reaches Med Coast, Algeria, -31C In Romania

Written by on December 31, 2014 in Rest of Europe, United Kingdom & Ireland, Winter 2014/15 with 0 Comments

Just as the model showed from several days back, we’ve seen brutal cold along with snow reach the shores of the Mediterranean and Algeria in the last 12 to 24 hours.

GFS from a few days ago.

Credit: AccuWeather Pro

Credit: AccuWeather Pro

Setif, Algeria

Image Credit: Ouarda وردة (Follow on twitter @Ouardaiqbal)

Image Credit: Ouarda وردة (Follow on twitter @Ouardaiqbal)

Palermo, Sicily

Credit: METEO ITALIA (Follow on twitter @RADIORMT)

Credit: METEO ITALIA (Follow on twitter @RADIORMT)

Calabria, Italy

Credit: METEO ITALIA (Follow on twitter @RADIORMT)

Credit: METEO ITALIA (Follow on twitter @RADIORMT)

Bari, Italy

Credit: METEO ITALIA (Follow on twitter @RADIORMT)

Credit: METEO ITALIA (Follow on twitter @RADIORMT)

Further east and following heavy snowfall in the last few days, temps in central Romania plummeted to -31C under a clear sky.

Credit: Meteo Romania

Credit: Meteo Romania

Here’s the current setup. The cold pattern started off over the UK and western flank of Europe but as heights built in from the Atlantic with warming SW’erly winds, so the cold shifted east and with increased NE’erly winds, Siberian origin air has punched all the way across the Mediterranean Basin into North Africa. This air was cold enough to support sea-level snow along the Italian coastal resorts. Not every day to you see this nor is it every day you see -15C temps at 850mb over the Med either.

GFS surface

Initial

Credit: AccuWeather Pro

Credit: AccuWeather Pro

850 temps

Credit: AccuWeather Pro

Credit: AccuWeather Pro

The 500mb height anomaly says it all.

Credit: AccuWeather Pro

Credit: AccuWeather Pro

2-metre temp departures are impressive down in the Med. Stark contrast balmy Scandinavia.

gfs-tmp--europe-00-C-2mtempanom

In the next 7 days expect a more free flowing wavy pattern with strong Atlantic influence.

More in this morning’s video. Also be sure to see yesterday’s post regarding the likely onset of a sudden stratospheric warming and potential implications later in January.

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