At the end of January, a significant cooling is expected in Europe, associated with the so-called 'Siberian blast' - a rare atmospheric phenomenon in which the direction of air flows changes and cold air from the east rushes into the European region. This is reported by Bloomberg, citing data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).
According to forecasts, starting from January 24, the average air temperature in Estonia and Latvia is expected to be 10 degrees below the climate norm.
Frosts of minus 10 degrees are expected in Poland, while in Germany, temperatures will be around minus three, which is also significantly lower than the average for this time of year.
Climatologist Judah Cohen from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology notes that such large-scale cold waves in Europe are rare. According to him, this year, cold weather may persist until early February; however, the exact boundaries and duration of the cold cyclone's impact remain uncertain.
At the same time, the chief meteorologist of MetSwift, James Peacock, emphasizes that the meteorological situation remains unstable. In his assessment, western Atlantic winds may partially hinder the spread of cold air masses, especially in Western European countries, including France and the United Kingdom.
Earlier, winter storms had already led to snowfall, strong winds, and power outages in several European countries. Since the beginning of the year, Europe has been under the influence of powerful Arctic intrusions, with temperatures in some regions dropping 12–15 degrees below normal. Additional influence is exerted by cyclones in the Mediterranean, causing increased precipitation in the Balkans and Eastern Europe.
