Mediterranean warming translates into strong storms recently.. Details

Arab Weather - Specialists at the Arab Weather Regional Center said that the Mediterranean Sea witnessed a rise in the temperature of the surface waters in the eastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea during the past months, as the temperature ranged from 28 to 30 degrees Celsius and exceeded its usual rates by about 2 to 4 degrees Celsius at that time, in light of the dominance of hot air masses during the summer, especially the expansion of hot air from the African continent towards the European continent.

Although the surface temperature of the water is lower than in the summer months, it is still higher than its average.

The outputs of computer models for monitoring the temperature of water bodies showed that the eastern Mediterranean basin region witnessed a slow decrease in the water surface temperature until December 26, 2024, compared to the summer months (due to the specific heat of the water, which is very high), but it is still higher than its average for this time of year by about one and a half to two degrees Celsius, especially in its eastern part.

The surface temperature of the water is around 16 to 17 degrees Celsius in the western Mediterranean, while it is much warmer in the central and eastern Mediterranean, where it ranges from 20 to 21 degrees Celsius, which means that it is relatively warm and is considered a very fertile environment for feeding depressions and thunderclouds with sufficient moisture.

The thermal energy latent in the Mediterranean Sea translates into strong storms in recent times.

The relatively warm surface temperatures of the Mediterranean Sea in recent times translate into strong storms, especially in the central Mediterranean, which has been experiencing its highest temperatures in recent months. The latest of these storms was Storm "Elena", which hit southern Europe and its effects were concentrated in the Balkan countries, especially Bosnia and Herzegovina, which caused severe weather conditions in the form of heavy rains and heavy snow, disrupting public life.

Meteorologists at the Arab Weather Center said that the rise in the temperature of the Mediterranean Sea leads to increased evaporation processes, which increases the humidity of the air above the sea. This humid air can cause the formation of dense clouds and thunderstorms as it crosses the cold upper basins. Also, the large differences in temperatures between the sea and the adjacent land can enhance the ascending and descending air currents, which increases the instability in the atmosphere.

The warm water temperature also provides cumulonimbus clouds with the thermal energy needed to produce strong thunderstorms above the sea surface, given the large temperature differences between the water surface and the land, as the water temperature is warmer than that on land, as shown in the satellite images received on Thursday evening 12/26/2024.

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And God knows best.