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Storm Boris: how to explain the phenomenon?
Storm Boris: how to explain the phenomenon?
(France 2)
Is Storm Boris, which is wreaking havoc in Eastern Europe, an exceptional phenomenon? Explanations on the set of the 8pm news by journalist Nicolas Chateauneuf.
Storm Boris is caused by accumulations of rain that have been forming since September 12. The torrential rain zone extends from northern Italy to Poland, and the worst-hit region is 650 km long. “If this happened in France, [cette zone] would go from Paris to Marseille”said journalist Nicolas Chateauneuf on Monday, September 16, on the 8 p.m. news set.
In Jeseník, in the north of the Czech Republic, 436 mm were recorded in three days, equivalent to 430 litres of water per m2. “Historic floods”notes the journalist.
The situation is explained by a descent of very cold polar air. If warming makes descents much less likely than 30 years ago, “when they occur, [il] has a doping effect on humidity and rainfall”continues the journalist.
The cold air created a depression centered over northern Italy, which ended up “stuck between two anticyclones, (…) while being supplied with moisture by the Mediterranean and the Black Sea”he explains. The water then fell back “with exceptional intensity”concludes Nicolas Chateauneuf.
Among our sources:
ECMWF climate model
Czech Hydrometeorological Institute
Weather Express
France Weather
Czech Hydrometeorological Institute
ECMWF model
Christophe Cassou, IPSL researcher
ECMWF model
Non-exhaustive list