Laurence Dollimore
A CYCLONE is expected to bring heavy rainfall as it forms in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula this week.
Spanish state weather agency Aemet warned today that the ‘surface cyclogenesis’ will arrive on Wednesday, November 13.
The phenomenon is set to bring ‘intense rains’ along the Mediterranean coast of Spain, including the Campo de Gibraltar and Costa del Sol.
A report from Aemet reads: “Significant weather change in Andalucia from Wednesday due to the lowering of a high-altitude depression that will gradually move until it is located in the southwest of the peninsula. A surface cyclogenesis will form…
“On Wednesday, the precipitations will be locally intense and accompanied by storms in some areas of the Alboran coast and pre-coast, as indicated with some discrepancy by the HRES-IFS and Harmonie-Arome models.”
The probability of rain in the region is ‘very high’ between Wednesday and Friday, with a chance it will improve by the weekend.
What is cyclogenesis?
A report by the University of Arizona explains: “Cyclogenesis is the development and strengthening of surface low pressure areas in the middle latitudes of the globe.
“These surface low pressure systems are sometimes referred to as cyclones, where a cyclone is defined as a near circular air flow that is in the same direction as the rotating Earth, which is counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere.
“In the northern hemisphere, winds around low pressure centres blow counterclockwise and spiral inward. This inward flow at the surface (convergence) forces rising motion in the vicinity of cyclones. Clouds and precipitation form where air rises.
“Because cyclones often produce precipitation, they are sometimes just referred to as ‘storms’.”
A report by the University of Arizona explains: “Cyclogenesis is the development and strengthening of surface low pressure areas in the middle latitudes of the globe.
“These surface low pressure systems are sometimes referred to as cyclones, where a cyclone is defined as a near circular air flow that is in the same direction as the rotating Earth, which is counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere.
“In the northern hemisphere, winds around low pressure centres blow counterclockwise and spiral inward. This inward flow at the surface (convergence) forces rising motion in the vicinity of cyclones. Clouds and precipitation form where air rises.
“Because cyclones often produce precipitation, they are sometimes just referred to as ‘storms’.”
It comes as a weather alert for Malaga and the Costa del Sol has been upgraded to orange.
The warning from state weather agency Aemet was changed on Monday afternoon.
It states that heavy rainfall will cause a significant risk to life on Wednesday with up to 100mm/m2 falling over a 12-hour period.
The Axarquia region is on the same warning after also being upgraded from a yellow to orange alert.
The warning is in place from 3am on Wednesday until 11.59pm, promising almost 24 hours of heavy rainfall.
It comes as yet another DANA is set to roll into Spain from the northern half of its territory this week.
The high area of isolated depression is expected to bring heavy rainfall to Valencia and Malaga – the former of which is still reeling from the last deadly DANA storm which killed more than 200 people.
According to El Tiempo, the weather phenomenon will arrive from France to the northeast of the peninsula from tomorrow (Tuesday).
The hardest hit areas will be between Cataluña, the Balearic Islands and the northern half of the Valencia region.
El Tiempo added: “Strong accumulations are also expected in the south along the Mediterranean coast of Andalucia, although also in areas of the Ebro valley and the eastern Cantabrian Sea…
“With the entry of the DANA from the northeast, the entry of colder air is also expected from Tuesday, which will mean that we will see some capitals reaching maximum temperatures in the single digits.
“With the drop in temperature, we will also see good accumulation in some mountain areas, since the snow level will be around 1,000 meters both in the north and in areas of the center of the peninsula.”
It comes as state weather agency Aemet has issued a series of alerts for heavy rainfall.
On Tuesday, Castellon in Valencia, and Tarragona and Barcelona, in Cataluña, are on a yellow-level warning for rain, with up to 20mm falling per square metre per hour.
Meanwhile, the whole of Ibiza and parts of Mallorca, including Palma, will be on a more serious orange alert, with up to 40mm/m2 of rain in an hour.
