You may have noticed that winter for the 2019-2020 period so far has been drier and relatively warmer compared to last year. If you’re wondering why, local weather page It-Temp Madwarna has all the answers.
“Systems of bad weather that enter the Med have 80 per cent of their origins coming from the North Atlantic Ocean,” which is the second biggest ocean in the world. In this area, form what are known as Azores High (high pressure) and Icelandic Low (low pressure). In winter however, a “meteorological phenomenon occurs, known as North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO).” Chinese, right? Here’s what it means.
The NAO is either positive or negative, which affects the atmospheric pressure. “When it’s positive, the high pressure near the Azores is higher than usual, while the low pressure near Iceland will be naturally lower. This causes strong winds on the coast of Britain and Scandinavia, rain in the north of Europe and extreme east of the Mediterranean, and a winter that is drier and not as cold overall in the remaining parts of Europe,” the weather site reveals. “On the other hand, when it’s negative, the discrepancy between the above two pressures will be much lower and storms spread easily and affect more parts of Europe.”
With regards to last winter, It-Temp Madwarna say that we experienced the negative stage of the NAO, while this year we are experiencing the positive one. “From late November 2019, it was clear that Azores High was going to rise and be intense.”
They also mention that because of global warming, the positive stage of the NAO is becoming favourable, even though currently there isn’t a particular pattern. And as we bid January farewell, what’s in store for 2020? “February is going to kick off where January left off, being warmer and drier than average,” the weather site reports.
What do you make of all this?