We are currently under the influence of a Mediterranean low whose frontal southerly flow is causing foehn in the northern Alps. The low is now slowly ending its rather long stay over the Iberian Peninsula and moving eastwards. The Föhn should be over here by Thursday and the unusually rainy days in the Sahara(!) will also come to an end. The precipitation already present on the southern slopes of the Alps will spread to the north, where it will be supported by a cold front from the NW.
Outlook
The Azores High is decisive for the medium-term development. It appears to be heading east and extending into the Mediterranean region. The Alps will tend to lie in the NW- WNW current at the front of the wedge. Depending on the exact location of the high, the turn of the month will bring warm, rather friendly weather (more in the south and west) or cooler, changeable and windy weather (more in the north and east). The current over the Atlantic is very zonal, which is not exactly conducive to the quality of the forecast. So, as is so often the case, things can still change.
Solar eclipse
Last Friday, some people were irritated by the poor quality of the firn compared to Thursday. The partial solar eclipse was quickly identified as the culprit. In Germany, solar power production fell by 60% within an hour and then rose again by 300% in 1.5 hours (end of the solar eclipse in combination with the daily solar irradiation).
And what else?
In view of the poor winter, climate change winter and doomsday ideas are even more prevalent on the US West Coast than here in Germany. After three very warm, very dry years in California, some people are worried that it will never snow again anyway. Three warm winters are far from a climatic trend and now there is also a study that explains how sea temperatures in the tropics can act as a forcing for mid-latitude weather and that the current drought is still well within the range of natural variability. This raises the hope that the drought will eventually end again. Friends of ENSO (El Niño/ La Niña) and other large-scale contexts will find interesting reading here. The WeatherBlog is going on vacation next week (HA!) and will report back after Easter.
