The absence of low pressure systems in the eastern Mediterranean affects the temperature of the water surface. How is that?

Arab Weather - Specialists at the Arab Weather Regional Center said that the latest outputs of computer models for monitoring the temperature of water bodies indicate that the temperature of the Mediterranean Sea will continue to be warmer than usual in the eastern part of the Mediterranean, reaching 18 to 20 degrees Celsius, exceeding its usual rates by approximately 2 to 4 degrees Celsius.

The temperature of the western part of the Mediterranean Sea decreases due to the recurrence of cold surges.

To clarify this context, when cold air masses rush towards the surface of dry waters and form depressions, these weather systems feed on the heat of the surface of warm waters and over time lead to their decline. The speed of the decline depends on the quantity and coldness of the air masses that reach the waters.

The central and western parts of the Mediterranean region are witnessing a significant decrease in the water surface temperature until January 16, 2025 compared to previous months due to the repeated influx of very cold air masses into those areas. However, they are still slightly higher than their averages for this time of year in most parts and lower than the averages in some parts of the Italian islands.

While it is much higher in the eastern part of it, where it ranges from 19 to 20 degrees Celsius, which means that it is relatively warm, and this is attributed to the absence of the usual winter depressions, as the depressions have recently taken an unusual path across northern Egypt, reaching the north of the Arabian Peninsula, and have become rare in the eastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea.

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

Meteorologists at the Arab Weather Center said that the rise in the temperature of the Mediterranean Sea led to an increase in evaporation processes, which increased the humidity of the air above the sea. The humidity of the air and the temperature of the water were translated into strong storms in the central and western Mediterranean and contributed to the formation of dense clouds and thunderstorms during the crossing of the cold upper basins. The large differences in temperatures between the sea and the adjacent land also strengthened the ascending air currents, which contributed to the increase in atmospheric instability in those areas recently.

And God knows best.