Is the winter over yet?
In large parts of Germany, the snow is followed by warmer temperatures.
A weather phenomenon could cause the cold to return.
Germany weather: Spring temperatures could be followed by a cold shock.
The further development of the polar vortex split plays a decisive role in this.
Weather models suggest that Germany is threatened with a Siberian cold.
Munich - Huge amounts of snow in January are followed by warm temperatures at the end of the month.
The snow is thawing in many regions, and now and then you can even enjoy the first warm rays of sunshine in 2021.
Meanwhile, storm “Goran” sweeps over Germany.
But was that
winter
for 2021?
Meteorologist Veronika Kiegler from
The Weatherchannel
doubts: She expects the icy temperatures to return again.
Weather in Germany: Siberian cold threatens
"Winter is not over yet," said the weather expert.
According to their forecast, it will “get really cold again” in February.
The so-called
polar vortex is responsible.
According to Kiegler, this should be disrupted at the beginning of February.
"Then the polar vortex can either shift - that brings cool air to Germany - but it can also split into two separate vortices", she explained the two possible scenarios.
The latter of the two scenarios is also commonly known as the
polar vortex split
.
The polar vortex is located at a height of around 30 kilometers and exists for around half a year.
It forms in the
Arctic
in autumn
and slowly dissolves again in spring.
If the stratosphere and consequently the troposphere warm up, the polar vortex can divide.
In this case, extreme cold air can flow from Siberia to Europe.
A division of the cold front could also have an impact on Germany, as meteorologist Jan Schenk said at the beginning of January.
Germany: Two weather scenarios - but sooner or later both will cause cold
But whether the polar vortex shifts or divides - it could have the same consequence.
Only the timing will change, says Kiegler.
“The time when the
cold
arrives
in Germany
is a little different.
With a postponement it takes a little longer. ”In this case, she narrowed the period from mid to late
February
.
“In a split, the whole thing can happen very, very quickly.
It only takes ten to 15 days, in other words: it gets very cold from the beginning of February to mid-February. "
A look at the climate model also shows “significantly cooler temperatures” compared to the previous weeks.
"So everyone agrees," concluded the meteorologist, "It will be cold in February." Ultimately, the only
thing that
remains unclear is when and how cold, because "that is not yet entirely certain."
(Mbr)
List of rubric lists: © Roland Weihrauch / dpa