Scientifically | What weather patterns produced Storm Alexa and could they happen again in the future?

Arab Weather - About eleven years ago today, all regions of the eastern Mediterranean basin countries, especially the Levant, were affected by a rare and exceptional autumn snowstorm that turned the tables on the winter snows. The storm resulted in 3 days of rainy and snowy weather depending on the region, with stormy winds and very cold temperatures, while the storm was followed by a week of freezing temperatures at night.

What weather patterns resulted in the Alexa snowstorm after God's will?

We return to tell the story of this storm in some detail, where by referring to the computer output record, it resulted that large areas of the European continent were affected by a solid and stubborn high at that time, after which a very cold air mass of polar origin rushed directly from Siberia towards eastern Europe, specifically the Black Sea, then Turkey, and later to the eastern Mediterranean region, where it was located above us for two days.

At the same time, the prevailing weather systems in the region as a whole allowed for the birth of a deep low pressure system centered initially over Syria, and then a new low pressure system centered over Lebanese territory developed, which contributed to the strengthening of rain and snowfall.

Could Alexa snowstorm happen again in the future?

In this context, the Alexa snowstorm that hit the Kingdom in 2013 is not considered an ordinary event, as it came to an area far from the North Pole and at the end of autumn, before the actual astronomical onset of winter and before the start of the Al-Mrab’aniyah in late December.

The formation of such weather systems that cause storms like Alexa from pressures and cold air masses and their locations does not happen every year, but rather once every few years. Also, the location of the countries of the eastern Mediterranean basin is in an area with a high degree of snow.

Any change in the center of polar air masses changes the shape of the weather patterns resulting from them, and thus it is not possible to predict the recurrence of similar snowstorms, while emphasizing that snowfall is considered a natural weather event in the mountains of the Levant during the winter, but it is not possible to compare as each weather condition has a different characteristic from the other.

Alexa's superior rain and snow performance in previous years

The snowstorm on the ground during that period achieved a rain and snow performance in many areas that exceeded what was achieved by strong winter storms up to the famous storm of 25-2-1992, while the storm of 25-2-2003 recorded a similar snow accumulation in the north of the capital, Amman, but it increased in February 1992 by about 20-40 centimeters.

The snowstorm disrupted all aspects of public life in the region due to the severity of its effects. Snowstorm Alexa is considered a severe storm that is classified as extremely rare, and such storms occur once every few years.

And God knows best.