Atmospheric circulation

The Great Cold Debate: Is Climate Change to Blame for Extreme Cold Spells?

Davide Faranda December 27, 2022

Average near-surface temperatures showing the extended cold spell over North America on December 24th 2022.

In December 2022, the United States experienced a severe cold spell, with record-low temperatures being recorded in many parts of the country. While it is natural for cold spells to occur, the question has arisen as to whether climate change is playing a role in the intensity and frequency of these events. There is ongoing debate among scientists about the relationship between climate change and ...[Read More]

NP Interview: Federico Grazzini on Climate Change casts shadows on the present and the future of the Mediterranean Basin

Davide Faranda November 17, 2022

Monthly mean sea surface temperature averaged over western and central Mediterranean sea [0E - 22E], months April - November. The blue line corresponds to the recent climatology 1991-2020 with the shading respectively showing 1,2,3 standard deviations of the monthly averages from the mean. Symbols are showing this year values and, for comparison with a previous strongest marine heat wave, the values recorded in 2003.

Weather extreme events in the year 2022 are really hitting the Mediterranean basin very hard. Since the beginning of the year we are observing a widespread drought, heatwaves but also severe thunderstorms. Few days before the COP meeting in Sharm-el-sheik we discussed one of the experts of Mediterranean climate, Federico Grazzini, to unveil whether these events can be linked to climate change. Fe ...[Read More]

How climate change can possibly increase the intensity of tornadoes in Europe

Davide Faranda October 26, 2022

On October 23 2022, a tornado outbreak occurred in France, causing extensive damages. Tornadoes in France are a relatively rare phenomenon, even more so in the second half of October. This weather phenomenon is linked to intense thunderstorms, and it is difficult to predict because it is very localized. Will global warming make this weather more frequent or intense? A thundercloud that grows visib ...[Read More]

What the 2022 summer thunderstorms in the Mediterranean tell us about the ongoing climate change?

Davide Faranda September 7, 2022

Lightning trace from 00 UTC to 18 UTC on 18 July 2022 showing the derecho track (dark red to white). Source: https://www.blitzortung.org/it/live_lightning_maps.php

The 2022 European summer was governed by the presence of a persistent cold drop (low pressure area) located between Portugal and France. The change in its position has determined the alternation between hot conditions (low pressure center over Portugal) and stormy conditions (cold drop over France). The warming of the Mediterranean Sea (up to +6°C compared to the period 1990-2020) has largely cont ...[Read More]