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For several weeks, France has been plagued by bad weather of rare intensity. Torrential downpours, hail, tornadoes and floods sweep across the country, sometimes leaving considerable damage behind them. The person responsible for this meteorological chaos ? An entity little known to the general public: the cold drop, a phenomenon which also plunged Dubai under torrential rains in mid-April. But what exactly is a cold drop and how does it influence our climate and the current situation?
What is a cold drop?
The cold drop is actually a pocket of frigid air nestled at over 5,000 meters above sea level. This detaches from the jet stream a “ a very powerful upper-altitude wind axis circulating around the Earth from west to east& ;nbsp;» according to the definition of Météo France. From time to time, the meanders of this current increase, isolating a portion of cold air which begins a dizzying descent towards lower latitudes, such as those of France.
This complex meteorological phenomenon creates an area of low pressure and an unstable air mass, prone to disrupted weather conditions. When a cold drop appears, Mother Nature goes wild! Stormy weather, violent gusts, sleet falls, etc.
In addition to this, they can also generate upwellings of mild, humid air from the Mediterranean, further worsening weather conditions. When the cold drop meets the warmer air of lower altitudes, a real thermal shock occurs, triggering particularly intense storms and abundant precipitation. These rainy episodes, sometimes torrential, can quickly submerge the soil and cause significant damage to the affected areas.
The official X.com account of Keraunos (French Observatory of Tornadoes and Violent Thunderstorms) shared an animated map on the social network, where we can clearly see the cold drop in full view. action :
It's raining, it's wet: the French cold drop
Recently, there has been a persistent cold drop quietly installed and stagnated above the Hexagon. In the space of a few days, the consequences were quick to be felt. Alsace, for example, was particularly affected by these bad weather. Floods of rare violence have submerged the region, forcing the authorities to issue a red alert.
Precipitation records were battered in some other areas, while severe thunderstorms caused significant flooding and mudslides. Hailstones, sometimes the size of golf balls, also caused significant damage to crops and infrastructure. A real disaster for agricultural production and a dark year for producers.
This is unlikely to improve, and analysts are not particularly optimistic over the coming weeks. The phenomenon is likely to continue until mid-June. So it's still not the time to put away the raincoats and umbrellas!
- Current French weather conditions can be explained by the presence of a cold drop.
- This is a pocket of frigid air which, by detaching itself from the jet stream, creates areas of low pressure and disrupts weather conditions.
- The situation, according to forecasts, is expected to last until the middle of June.
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