What is the Siberian High and how does it affect the weather as it first extends over the region?

Arab Weather - The region will be affected next week by a Siberian cold wave resulting from the expansion of the so-called Siberian high, which will be accompanied by cold weather during the daytime hours, especially in the middle of the week, while very cold nights will prevail in all regions of the Levant, Iraq and northern Saudi Arabia.

What is the Siberian High?

The Siberian High is a large mass of cold air that gathers over the Siberian region of northeastern Eurasia. Because the pressure of the cold air is high, high pressure prevails in the areas it affects, and the temperature drops there. Extreme cold and dryness are the most important features of the Siberian High, because it is formed as a result of the extreme cooling of the Earth's surface over continental areas far from marine influences.

How does the construction of the Siberian High begin?

The process of building the Siberian High begins when the sun's rays begin to decrease in the northern regions of the globe, including Siberia. Solar radiation decreases, which leads to rapid cooling of the Earth's surface, especially at night. This results in the cooling of the air masses near the Earth's surface. With the long nights that characterize autumn in Siberia, the Earth's surface loses heat rapidly due to the process of radiative cooling, where the heat stored in the Earth is released into space, which cools the surface layer of air.

Cold air is dense and heavy, so it begins to collect at the surface. The denser the cold air, the higher the air pressure over the area, which leads to the formation of the Siberian High at 1000 to 850 millibars (the Siberian High does not build higher than this due to the heaviness and density of the cold air). Cold winds from the Arctic further cool the air over Siberia, which increases the strength of the high. This contributes to its formation on a large scale.

Although the Siberian High is slow to build in the fall, it has already begun as the surface air becomes colder, denser, and the air pressure rises, announcing the formation of the Siberian High. The process of building becomes more stable and stronger as winter progresses, making it one of the most important weather systems in the Northern Hemisphere during the fall and winter.

The Siberian weather system is one of the most important sources of cold, dry air masses.

The Siberian system is considered one of the most important sources of cold continental air masses, especially the continental polar air masses. Although the Siberian high has begun to form, it does not cause severe cold waves except in the areas it controls. Its development does not necessarily mean that cold waves are close to the Arab world. However, the Siberian high affects the climate at different time periods mainly in several wide geographical areas during the fall and winter seasons.

In some cases, the influence of the Siberian High extends to areas of the Middle East during some periods, especially at the end of autumn and winter, including the Levant and the Arabian Peninsula. This leads to dry cold waves, causing a significant drop in temperatures, as expected next week.

The extension of the Siberian High is accompanied by the blowing of easterly winds: This type of wind is the most frequent type of wind accompanying the Siberian High in the Middle East, and can be considered the prevailing wind accompanying it. It thus takes the first place among all pressure systems that cause winds to blow from this direction in those regions. The reason for the high frequency of these winds is related to the nature of the movement around the center of the Siberian High, which is clockwise, and the general movement from east to west, in addition to the terrain that contributes to determining its general paths and the movement of the winds accompanying it.

And God knows best.