Scientifically | Why are cold air masses still able to reach the European continent and what is their impact on the atmosphere of the Levant?

Weather of Arabia - Despite the onset of spring and its climatic end nearing, the European continent is still exposed to cold air masses, and some of them are even considered very cold, especially in the upper latitudes. In this report, we will explain, God willing, the scientific reasons that led, after God’s will, to the flow of cold air, as will We will explain its effects on the weather of the Levant, God willing.

The first reason: The European continent is located within the middle and high latitudes, and a large part of it is geographically located near the North Pole

The specialists at the Arab Regional Weather Center believe that the European continent is affected by a number of cold air masses as a result of their occurrence in the medium and high latitudes. The higher the latitude, the farther the region is from the tropics and closer to the poles. This makes the European continent the first recipient of the cold winds cast by the North Pole.

The second reason: the cohesion of very cold air masses despite the dispersion of a large part of the polar vortex

As we enter the spring season, the Earth’s axis tilts towards the sun, and the Arctic Circle begins to receive increasing amounts of solar radiation, as temperatures begin to gradually rise above the Arctic Circle, and the polar vortex begins its collapse, starting from its upper level in the “stratosphere” layer, 10 hPa, which is The second layer of the atmosphere is at an altitude of about 30 km above sea level, extending towards the rest of the layers until the lowest, and the collapse is most evident during the end of May.

The collapse of the polar vortex can be determined based on several outcomes, including the upper westerly winds above the polar circle, where their intensity and speed weaken and decline from the average. The polar air is a very huge mass of homogeneous polar air from which arms of cold air extend, causing atmospheric depressions to form after passing over the water, God willing.

The computer outputs of the Arabia Weather team indicate that despite the collapse of the polar vortex, there are still polar air masses with intense cooling above the polar circle, from which cold winds flow towards the European continent, but they lose a large part of their coldness when they pass over bodies of water as a result of the difference in specific temperature. Between land and water.

The third reason: The atmospheric pressure above the Arctic Circle is still within the high range, which is one of the reasons for the invasion of cold air masses into Europe.

The specialists at the Arab Regional Weather Center said after monitoring the behavior of the atmospheric pressure values above the Arctic Circle (the Arctic Oscillation Coefficient AO) that it is witnessing negative values, and this means that the atmospheric pressure values above the Arctic Circle are high, and this is what, after God’s will, was the reason for the undulation of the polar jet stream. The upper air depressions and cold air masses rush towards the European continent.

How is the effect of the flow of cold air over Europe reflected on the atmosphere of the Levant and the Kingdom?

According to the specialists at the Arab Regional Weather Center, the rush of cold air in this form and size over the European continent, especially when it reaches some regions of North Africa in this situation, will have a direct and opposite reaction in the form of a rush of hot air from deep within the African Sahara towards the Kingdom and the Levant, and this is what it indicates. Some preliminary indicators we received at the end of this week and the beginning of next week, God willing.

God knows.