Meteorologists expected it early and are right: The La Niña weather phenomenon will appear in 2020. What does that mean for winter in Germany?
The
La Niña weather phenomenon
is believed to be active throughout the winter.
It usually brings
cold
to Europe.
So will there be a
snow *
and a freezing
winter in Germany
?
Munich - The
La Niña weather phenomenon
has existed in the tropical Pacific.
American experts now reckon that there is an 85 percent probability that it
will remain
over
the entire winter
.
Although
La Niña
mainly ensures cooler temperatures around the equator, this also has indirect consequences for the
weather *
in Germany
due to the influence on the trade winds and the cold Antarctic current
.
The effects on the American continents and Southeast Asia are, however, much greater.
There are fears of severe storms * in Australia and extreme drought in South America.
La Niña's “brother”, El Niño
, is much more dangerous, however.
It brings heat and global weather problems.
Fortunately, the fear that he could become active in 2020 was not confirmed.
How does La Niña impact weather across the United States and the globe?
It first starts with changing the Walker Circulation, the way the atmosphere flows across the tropics.
https://t.co/2r2qMCR5O3 pic.twitter.com/aweq9rB7l8
- NOAA Climate.gov (@NOAAClimate) October 15, 2020
The normal circulation in the Pacific Ocean is
strengthened and cooled at the same time
.
The cold temperatures in the tropical Pacific bring
high air pressure over the North Pacific and low pressure over North America
in a so-called
La Niña year
.
That affects the Atlantic and therefore also Europe.
La Niña: Climate anomaly brings cold to Germany
Specifically, La Niña influences the “
North Atlantic Oscilation Index
”, or NAO index for short.
This describes the formation of most of the low pressure areas in Central Europe.
They develop between the warm Atlantic and the cold air near Greenland; high pressure usually prevails over the Azores.
If the
climate anomaly is
active, these pressure systems are particularly well developed.
The Azores high then reliably brings
cold to Europe
.
This can already be felt today in the relatively cool autumn.
Winter in Germany: Snow thanks to La Niña?
Guaranteed temperature drop
A strong
La Niña phenomenon was most
recently
observed
in winter 2015/16
.
At that time, however, it was mainly felt in Asia and South America.
In 2010,
however, the anomaly also made the
European and German weather
clear.
Until today it was the last winter in which almost all of Germany could
look forward
to a
white Christmas
.
A cold and
snowy winter is
not
guaranteed
by La Niña
, but a cooling compared to other years is certain.
Current forecasts already assume this and give slight hope for snow.
(moe) * Merkur.de is part of the Ippen-Digital editors network.
List of rubric lists: © picture alliance / Lino Mirgeler / dpa