Foggy weather is expected to start off the new week, however the sun will come out later.
Monday morning will start off with foggy and generally rather dreary conditions. Some light rainfall is possible during breakfast hours at around 8am. The fog is expected to largely dissolve before noon, and the remaining layer of low clouds will give way to periods of sunshine as the day progresses. Especially in the later afternoon, the sunny weather will likely dominate.
Temperatures will start off at around 19°C (66°F) in the morning, rising to around 23°C (73°F) by the afternoon.
The wind will be light, with gusts not exceeding 25 km/h (16 mph).
Two tropical systems are currently being watched by NOAA’s National Hurricane Center – one a hurricane in the eastern Pacific, one a tropical storm in the vicinity of the Bahamas. Here are the details
Tropical Storm Humberto
Central Pressure: 1000 hPa Maximum sustained winds: 93 km/h Gusts: 110 km/h
Tropical Storm Humberto is currently located just to the north of the Bahamas, its precipitation and even its storm field affecting some of the nation’s islands. It is currently not predicted to make landfall in the mainland US, instead turning back out to the Atlantic and then heading towards the Northeast. The storm is, however, still expected to strengthen and is predicted to be upgraded to a category 1 hurricane by 8pm on Monday (EDT), and a category 2 by 8pm on Tuesday (EDT). On Wednesday, the storm is expected to be positioned around Bermuda. Whether the British territory is going to be struck isn’t entirely certain yet, however, precautions should be taken.
The current storm field and predicted path of Tropical Storm Humberto. Note how part of the Bahamas is currently being impacted by the storm field. Source: NOAA / NHC
Hurricane Kiko
Central pressure: 966 hPa Maximum sustained winds: 184 km/h Gusts: 211 km/h Category: 3
Hurricane Kiko, though a major storm, is located well out on the Pacific and is headed Westwards, away from land. It therefore poses no real risk to North America. The storm is expected to continue on this trajectory for the days to come, eventually weakening to a category 1 storm by the end of the 5-day forecast period.
Hurricane Kiko, though a major hurricane, does not pose any threat to mainland North America at this time. Source: NOAA / NHC.
Am Montag hält sich wechselhaftes und recht kühles Wetter. Das liegt daran, dass sich Deutschland in einer Strömung aus Nordwesten findet, die kühle und feuchte Luft aus der Nordsee und der Arktis zu uns bringt. Dies wiederum passiert dank eines Tiefdruckgebiets, das mit seinem Kern derzeit über Südskandinavien liegt – man bedenkt, dass sich Tiefdruckgebiete auf der Nordhalbkugel immer gegen den Uhrzeigersinn drehen, d.h. auf ihrer Rückseite schaufeln sie Luft aus nördlicheren Breiten nach Süden.
Die Bodenanalyse um 00 UTC. Man beachte das Tief mit Kern über Südskandinavien.
Auch am Dienstag wird das relativ kühle Wetter noch anhalten, vor allem in der Nordosthälfte Deutschlands wird es auch weiterhin Regenschauer geben.
Zum Mittwoch hin breitet sich dann allerdings zunehmend ein Hochdruckgebiet nach Mitteleuropa aus, mit dem sich das Wetter dann etwas beruhigen wird, und auch nach und nach wärmere Luftmassen zu uns geführt werden. Es bestehen derzeit noch erhebliche Unterschiede darin, wo der Kern dieses Hochdruckgebiets berechnet wird; abhängig davon wird es in Deutschland eher wärmer und sonniger, oder eventuell nicht ganz so warm und immer wieder mit Regenschauern durchsetzt.
Der generelle Trend für die Woche heißt aber: ein kühler und wechselhafter Start, in der zweiten Wochenhälfte wärmer und trockener.
Die erwartete Wetterlage Donnerstag Früh. Gut zu erkennen ist die mildere Luftströmung aus Südwest (wärmere Farben).
Vorhersage: LH
English
On Monday, cool and inconsistent weather with a mix of sunshine and rain showers will dominate. This is the case because Germany is currently situated in a stream of air coming from the north west, bringing cool and wet air to the country. This, in turn, is the case because of a low pressure system, the core of which is currently located in southern Scandinavia. Keep in mind that on the Northern Hemisphere, low pressure systems always spin in a counterclockwise direction, meaning that on their rear flank, they pull air from higher latitudes southwards.
Ground analysis at 00UTC. Note the low pressure system with its core of southern Scandinavia.
On Tuesday, the relatively cool weather will continue, and especially in the northeastern half of Germany, rain showers will also persist.
However on Wednesday, a high pressure system will increasingly manage to stretch all the way into central Europe, bringing calmer weather and, over time, warmer air masses. There are still considerable differences regarding the forecasts of where the core of the high will be located, though. Depending on where the high will be situated, the weather in Germany may be either warmer and sunnier, or a bit cooler and more inconsistent.
The general trend for the week is, though: a cool and showery start, with warmer and drier conditions in the second half of the week.
The predicted weather situation Thursday morning. You can see the milder air (warmer colors) flowing into central Europe from the southwest.
Auch ein Menschenleben wurde durch den Sturm verloren.
Find the English version below
Gestern zog – begleitet von Sturmböen bis zu 144 km/h – das Sturmtief Bennet rasant über Deutschland hinweg. Verbreitet wurde auch im Flachland, vor allem im Norden des Landes, schwere Sturmböen registriert – vielerorts wurden auch 100 km/h erreicht, so zum Beispiel in Berlin mit 104 km/h sowohl in Tegel als auch in Schönefeld. Zudem gab es an vielen Orten auch die ersten Gewitter des Jahres, die wiederum, mit verstärkten Sturmböen einhergingen. Zahlreiche Schäden und auch ein Todesopfer sind zu vermelden.
Der Wind hat im Großteil Deutschlands inzwischen nachgelassen, es können aber vor allem im Nordosten im Laufe des Dienstages noch einzelne Sturmböen auftreten, und auch an den Küsten besteht weiterhin Gefahr.
Der Rosenmontags-Sturm beschädigte quer über den Norden Deutschlands Dächer und entwurzelte Bäume. So blockierten umgestürzte Bäume unter anderem die Bahnrouten zwischen Hamburg und Puttgarten, zwischen Hamburg und Stade sowie zwischen Braunschweig und Salzgitter. Ebenfalls betroffen waren die Strecken von Hannover nach Berlin, Hamburg nach Passau, und Stralsund nach Karlsruhe. Es kam zu teils erheblichen Verspätungen.
Auch sturmbedingte Verkehrsunfälle gab es zu melden. Auf der Autobahn A14 in Brandenburg kam wegen einer Sturmböe ein LKW von der Fahrbahn ab, woraufhin eine Sperrung folgte. Auf der A392 in Braunschweig kippte ein Lastzug um; Fahrer und Beifahrer wurden leicht verletzt.
In Ochtrup, Nordrhein-Westfalen, kam ein Autofahrer ums Leben, als ein Baum auf sein Fahrzeug stürzte.
Text: Linus Höller
English
Accompanied by storm gusts of up to 144 km/h, storm “Bennet” raced across Germany yesterday. Severe storm gusts were registered throughout the lowland, and in many places, wind speeds exceeded 100 km/h, as, for example, in Berlin, where 104 km/h were registered at both Tegel and Schönefeld airports. Furthermore, many places received their first thunderstorms of the year which, in turn, brought intensified storm gusts of their own. The storm caused a fair amount of damage and even took one life.
The wind has lessened in much of Germany meanwhile, though especially in the northeast of the country, individual storm gusts are still possible throughout Tuesday, and stormy conditions persist at the coasts.
The carnival Monday storm damaged roofs and uprooted trees throughout northern Germany. Toppled trees blocked the rail routes between Hamburg and Puttgarten, Hamburg and Stade as well as between Braunschweig and Salzgitter. Also affected were the routes from Hannover to Berlin, Hamburg to Passau and Stralsund to Karlsruhe. There were major delays.
There were also reports of storm-induced traffic accidents. On the highway A14 in Brandenburg, a truck was pushed off the road by a storm gusts, which resulted in the highway being temporarily closed. On the Autbahn A392 in Braunschweig, a trailer was tipped over by the wind; the driver and passenger were injured lightly.
In Ochtrup, North Rhine – Westphalia, a driver lost his life due to a falling tree striking his car.
English version can be found below the German text
Am heutigen Montag zieht ein kräftiger Sturm, benannt “Bennet”, einmal quer über Deutschland und bringt verbreitet schwere Sturmböen um oder über 90 km/h. Im Wesentlichen ist unsere gestrige Vorhersage noch korrekt, also bitte einmal HIER nachlesen.
Hier die Wetterlage, wie sie heute um 13:00 Lokalzeit erwartet wird:
Bodenvorhersage für 12UTC. Quelle: DWD / FU Berlin
Entlang und vor allem Rückseitig der Kaltfront, die sich im Laufe des Tages von West nach Ost über Deutschland bewegt, ist mit schweren Sturmböen zu rechnen.
Schon heute Früh ist es in Westeuropa ziemlich windig, mit verbreiteten Böen um 80 km/h in Belgien und um 100 km/h an der Nordseeküste:
Spitzenböen der vergangenen Stunde bis 05:00 MEZ. Quelle: www.kachelmannwetter.com
Im Grunde genommen ist ein solcher Wintersturm nichts außergewöhnliches, allerdings bedarf eine derartige Wettersituation immer erhöhter Vorsicht und Aufmerksamkeit. Was heute allerdings besonders ist: es ist gleichzeitig Rosenmontag, und so werden viele Leute bei Umzügen auf der Straße sein. Somit ist erhöhtes Potential für eventuelle Unfälle gegeben. Seien Sie allenfalls vorsichtig und achten Sie auf das Wetter; setzen Sie sich nicht leicht vermeidbaren Gefahren aus.
Vorhersage: LH
English
Today, a strong storm by the name of Bennet will pass over Germany, bringing widespread severe storm gusts of 90 km/h and above. Overall, yesterday’s forecast is still correct, so go have a read of that HERE.
Below we have the predicted atmospheric conditions for 12UTC (13:00 local time):
Ground analysis for 12UTC. Source: DWD / FU Berlin
Along and especially behind the cold front, which will move from west to east across the country, severe storm gusts are to be expected.
This morning is already bringing some substantial wind to Western Europe, with widespread gusts of around 80 km/h in Belgium and speeds topping 100 km/h in the North Sea:
Peak gusts of the past hour at 05:00 CET. Source: www.kachelmannwetter.com
In general, a winter storm like this is nothing out of the ordinary, though heightened caution and awareness is always advised in a situation like this. What is different today is that at the same time, it is shrove Monday, so there will be many people attending parades out in the open. Therefore, a heightened potential for accidents is given. No matter what you are doing today, be cautious and keep an eye on the weather; don’t expose yourself to easily avoidable risks.
An und hinter der Kaltfront des Sturmtiefs “Bennet”, dessen Kern sich morgen im Laufe des Tages von den Britischen Inseln kommend über die Nordsee schließlich in die Ostsee verlagert, sind schwere Sturmböen zu rechnen. Schon seit einigen Tagen rechnen alle Wettermodelle mit vergleichsweise kleinen Unterschieden mit diesem Sturm, der das gesamte Bundesgebiet Deutschlands betreffen wird.
Bodenvorhersage 12UTC. Quelle: DWD / FU Berlin
Oben haben wir die vorhergesagte Wetterlage für Montag, 12UTC (also 13:00 Ortszeit). Man beachte das Tief mit Kern in der Nordsee. Der Prognostizierte Kerndruck liegt bei 975hPa. Von dem Tief erstreckt sich eine Kaltfront über Deutschland, die Alpen, Südfrankreich bis nach Spanien und Portugal. Besonders entlang dieser Kaltfront, die sich (in Richtung der Dreiecke) im Wesentlichen von West nach Ost über Deutschland bewegen wird, sowie hinter ihr, ist mit den stärksten Sturmböen zu rechnen. Generell gilt auf einer Wetterkarte: Je näher die Isobaren (also die Linien gleichen Luftdrucks) zusammenliegen, desto stärker der Wind.
Besonders im Norden Deutschlands können sich sogar einzelne Gewitter bilden. Diese bergen dann die Gefahr in sich, noch deutlich stärkere Böen die eventuell auch Orkanstärke erreichen könnten (d.h. über 120 km/h) mit sich zu bringen.
Einige Vorhersagemodelle rechnen derzeit auch mit der Ausbildung einer Böenfront im Norden Deutschlands, an deren Vorderkannte deutlich stärkere Sturmböen als im meisten Restlichen Land zu erwarten wären. Das sieht man auf der Kart hier ganz gut:
Einstündige Spitzenböen um 12:00 Lokalzeit. Quelle: www.kachelmannwetter.com
Das Vorhersagemodell von Meteo-France rechnet zwar im Allgemeinen mit einem weniger starken Sturm als die sonstigen Vorhersagen, allerdings erwartet es auch eben die vorhergenannte “Squall-Line” (Böenfront) im Norden Deutschlands, und rechnet innerhalb dieser sogar mit Böen von bis zu 140 km/h. Zwar besteht die Möglichkeit dafür, da allerdings die restlichen Vorhersagemodelle mit einer nicht ganz so extremen Ausprägung rechnen, ist aber relativ unwahrscheinlich.
Auch hier erkennt man die prognostizierte Böenfront und ihre Position jeweils zur vollen Stunde, da sie sich, wie der Rest des Wetters, von West nach Ost über das Land bewegt:
Prognostizierte Spitzenböen für den gesamten Tag des 4. März. Quelle: www.kachelmannwetter.com
Die Karte oben zeigt die höchsten Windgeschwindigkeiten an, mit denen dieses Modell von Kachelmannwetter im Laufe des gesamten Tages rechnet. Man sieht, dass insgesamt fast überall mit Sturmböen oder auch schweren Sturmböen von um oder auch über 90km/h zu rechnen ist. Evtl. kann es auf den Berggipfeln, an den Küsten und an sonstigen exponierten Orten auch noch etwas darüber kommen. Außerdem sollte man die mögliche Böenfront im Norden Deutschlands im Auge behalten, entlang der es – vor allem in Kombination mit eventuell auftretenden Gewittern – doch noch etwas happiger kommen kann.
Vorhersage: LH
English
Along and behind the cold front of a storm by the namet of “Bennet”, which will move from the British Isles by way of the North Sea and into the Baltic Sea over the course of the day tomorrow, severe storm gusts are to be expected. Forecast models have been expecting this storm for several days and with relatively small discrepancies between them, and expect it to affect all of Germany.
Forecast on ground level at 12UTC. Source: DWD / FU Berlin
Above, you can find the predicted atmospheric conditions for Monday, 12UTC (so 13:00 local time). Note the low pressure area, the center of which is located in the North Sea with a predicted pressure of 975 hPa. Coming from the low, a cold front extends across Germany, the Alps, southern France and all the way to Spain and Portugal. It will progress in direction of the triangles, so largely from west to east across Germany. Along as well as behind this front is where the strongest storm gusts are to be expected. A general rule for weather maps is: the closer together the isobars (lines of equal pressure) are, the windier the conditions.
Especially in the north of Germany, some thunderstorms may form, too. These carry the risk of bringing even stronger storm gusts within them and in their vicinity. These gusts may reach hurricane force, so exceed 120 km/h.
Some forecast models currently also expect the formation of a squall line (a gust front) in the north of Germany, at the leading edge of which there could be notably stronger storm gusts than in the rest of the country. You can see this potential situation quite well on this map:
One-hour peak gusts at 12:00 local time. Source: www.kachelmannwetter.com
The forecast model by Meteo-France expects a weaker storm in much of Germany than most of the other forecasts, however it is also predicting the aforementioned squall line in the north of the country, and expects it to bring wind speeds of up to 140 km/h. Though the possibility of this taking place cannot be ruled out, the other forecast models don’t expect quite as extreme wind speeds, and therefore, it seems unlikely that the squall line should reach such an intensity.
In the next map, you can also see the squall line. In this case, you can see its location at the top of each hour, as it progresses from west to east (along with all the rest of the weather) across Germany:
Expected peak gusts for the entirety of the fourth of March. Source: www.kachelmannwetter.com
The above map shows the highest wind speeds that this weather model by Kachelmannwetter expects over the course of the entire day. You can see that almost everywhere, storm gusts or severe storm gusts of around but also above 90 km/h are expected. Coasts, mountain peaks and other exposed areas may experience even higher wind speeds. Furthermore, one should keep an eye on the potential squall line in Norther Germany, which – especially in combination with possible thunderstorms – might pose a particular risk to life and property.
Storms coming from the Atlantic, like this one, are the reason Europe receives so much rain. Image: NASA
There’s a reason the British came up with the phrase “raining cats and dogs”, and for why Germany appears to perpetually be in a bad mood. Western Europe receives a lot of rain. To be exact, London gets on average 630 liters per square meter (1 l/m² = 1 mm), Berlin 566 mm and Amsterdam tops both, at 810 liters annually. But why’s that?
Simply put, the reason it rains so much is because all of western Europe is close to the ocean – you are usually less than a thousand kilometers from the next coast, and on a global scale, that is almost no distance, nor is it for the humid air moving in from the Atlantic. This air eventually deposits most of its water in western Europe.
In more scientific terms, Western Europe is classified as having a “temperate climate”, meaning that there are four distinct seasons, with warm summers and cold winters, and that there is precipitation year-round. The British Isles, the BeNeLux, Germany, Denmark, the south of Sweden, south and west of Norway, all of Germany, Austria, Czechia, and much of Poland and the inland of the Balkans as well as the north of Spain fall under this classification, as do the western coasts of Iceland and the Baltic states. Further to the east, continental climate takes over, which is a lot drier than Western Europe’s rainy weather, and in the south, along the coasts of the Mediterranean, Mediterranean climate persists, with hot, dry summers and cooler, rainier winters.
Generally, the further east you go, the drier it gets, as the moisture-laden air from the Atlantic needs to cross larger areas of land, therefore typically losing its water on the way before continuing into areas such as Belarus and Russia.
Europe is surprisingly far north. At 52° North, the German capital, Berlin, is 9° further
A satellite image of the Sea Surface Temperatures of the Northern Atlantic clearly shows the warmer water being transported north by the Gulf Stream. Image: NASA
North than Toronto, and even 1° further north than Alaska’s southernmost city. Nevertheless, temperatures rarely drop far below -5°C in winter, and commonly exceed 25 and even 30°C in summer. A key contributing factor to the mild weather in Europe is the Gulf Stream – an ocean current that transports warm water from the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico all the way to the Northern Atlantic – both increasing Europe’s temperature, and providing the fuel for low pressure systems (bringing rain) and storms to form over the ocean, only to move eastwards and towards Europe.
There is one final piece to unlocking the puzzle of why Europe is so wet, and that goes by the imposing name of “polar front”. In meteorology, a front is the place where two air masses (areas of air with different properties, usually temperature) meet. In the case of the polar front, warm, moist air from the south clashes with cold, moist air from the north. When air masses clash, they shove each other around and lead to the formation of weather patterns. In this case, low-pressure systems are formed (which has the fancy name of cyclogenesis). And low-pressure systems typically pack rain.
The formation of a low pressure system, a.k.a. a cyclone (not all cyclones are tropical storms!). In the case of the Atlantic, the line where the arctic and subtropical air meet is called the polar front. The entire process is called cyclogenesis. Image: classconnection.s3.amazonaws.com/814/flashcards/364814/jpg/formation_of_a_wave_cyclone1322859884968.jpg
On average, rain falls at just about 20 km/h. But what really defines rain, and are there different types?
What is rain? It is liquid water coming from the sky, so a form of hydrometeor (hydro = water, meteor = well, something that falls from the sky). But as anybody who has gotten into a torrential downpour in the summer and into misty drizzle in winter will surely have realized, not all rain is created equal.
In fact, there are distinctions between the types of rain that exist. Most notably, between “drizzle” and “rain”, two categories which are entirely distinct forms of precipitation in weather stations’ reports (using the SYNOP key). Drizzle has a diameter of less than half a millimeter, and will not exceed rainfall rates of 1.3 liters per square meter each hour (l/m² = mm of rainfall). Rain, on the other hand, has drop sizes of at least half a millimeter but is then further subdivided into light rain (under 2.5 mm per hour), medium rain (2.5 to 7.6 mm/h), strong rain (7.6 to 15 mm/h), and torrential rainfall, which exceeds 15 liters per square meter in just an hour and will often lead to flash flooding.
Rain comes in different drop sizes as well, though. The size a rain drop reaches depends on various conditions in the cloud it originates from, but is mainly influenced by the strength of the updraft, as a stronger updraft has more force and can therefore carry larger, heavier rain drops for longer before they drop (no pun intended). Once the weight of the rain drop is so great that it falls, air resistance will change its shape yet again. The larger the rain drop, the flatter it becomes, as the air resistance from the bottom forms an indentation. A drop 3 mm in diameter therefore has the shape of a jelly bean, while a drop of just 1 mm is almost perfectly spherical. The upper limit for how large a rain drop can get is typically at around 4.5 millimeters, at which point it will look almost like a tiny parachute when photographed mid-fall. Any larger, and the air resistance will tear apart the rain drop into smaller droplets.
Oh, and to provide the answer to the title of this article: an average rain drop falls at roughly 23 kilometers per hour, so would take roughly eight minutes to fall from a height of three kilometers all the way to the ground. For comparison, a snow flake will fall at about 5 km/h, taking 36 minutes, while a hail stone the size of a golf ball may reach a whopping 103 km/h and cover the same distance in less than two minutes.
Die neue Woche beginnt mit einem wechselnd bewölktem
Himmel und zumeist recht viel Sonnenschein. Niederschlag ist am MONTAG keiner
zu erwarten. Die Temperaturen werden in der Früh mit -2°C etwas unter dem
Gefrierpunkt liegen, tagsüber aber leichte Plusgrade und Höchstwerte von bis zu
+3°C erreichen. Der Wind wird meist leicht sein.
Am DIENSTAG hält sich der Himmel meist bedeckt, in der
Früh ist außerdem mit etwas Schneefall zu rechnen. Die Temperaturen werden
erneut von -2 bis +3°C reichen und der Wind wird überwiegend leicht sein.
Der MITTWOCH beginnt noch heiter, doch im weiteren
Tagesverlauf werden von Westen her zunehmend dickere Wolken aufziehen und am Abend
kann es dann auch vereinzelt etwas leichten Regen geben. Die Temperaturen
werden in der Früh in der Nähe des Gefrierpunktes liegen aber im Tagesverlauf auf
5°C steigen. Der Wind wird leicht sein.
The new week will
start off with party cloudy skies and quite a bit of sunshine. No precipitation
is expected for MONDAY. The temperatures will start off just below freezing, at
-2°C, but are expected to reach positive values with a high of +3°C later in
the day. The wind will be mostly light.
On TUESDAY,
overcast skies will dominate, and in the morning, there may also be some
snowfall. The temperatures will again range from -2 to +3°C and the wind will
be predominantly light.
WEDNESDAY will
start off fair, but over the course of the day, more and more clouds will start
moving in from the west and subsequently, there may be some light rain in the
evening. The temperatures will start at freezing in the morning but will reach
5°C later in the day. The wind will be light.
