This early morning heat is unusual even in summer, but much more so at the end of October, and could be due to a curious wind effect.
So, how is it possible that it is 29.7 ºC in Mallorca in the early morning of October 26th? The Indian Summer that we are going through due to the formation of an anticyclonic ridge with warm air is pushing temperatures across much of Spain during the day, above 30 degrees in the afternoons in parts of Andalusia and the Mediterranean, and bringing back the tropical nights of summer, with minimum temperatures of more than 20 ºC.
The night heat in Mallorca could be due to “a foehn effect produced as the wind from the south crosses the Tramuntana mountain range” according to the spokesperson for the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), Ruben del Campo.
This effect occurs when a mass of air is forced to ascend when encountering a mountain. As it rises, the air cools and the water vapour it contains condenses, forming clouds, but when it descends on the opposite side, the opposite happens: the air loses all its humidity and the atmospheric pressure increases, and therefore the temperature.
Therefore, what on the windward side is humidity and precipitation, on the leeward side is clear weather and heat, explains Aemet.
Temperatures are going to remain very warm for the time being and this October could go down as the hottest on record in Mallorca.
No comments
To be able to write a comment, you have to be registered and logged in
Currently there are no comments.