A winter cyclone arrives just for the Befana and for the whole weekend
The Befana will bring in the stocking a phase of cold bad weather that will accompany us throughout the weekend, characterized by heavy rain, strong winds and also the return of snow.
The cause is to be found in the descent of very cold winds of Arctic origin, directed towards the Mediterranean basin: it will be precisely this icy air that favors the formation of a cyclonic vortex capable of triggering intense rainfall, including thunderstorms in the Centre-South , as well as violent gusts of wind and heavy snowfall on the mountains.
Saturday 6 January, Epiphany Day, will be characterized by a very turbulent meteorological context. The areas most at risk of rain, according to the latest updates, will be eastern Lombardy, Trentino Alto Adige, Veneto, Emilia Romagna and Eastern Liguria.
Not just rain: a heavy load of snow is expected in the central-eastern Alps with significant accumulations above 1000 meters by the evening. And during the evening hours the snow level will drop to 5/600 metres. Even the Apennines will return after a long time to see the white flakes, albeit higher up, starting from around 1500 metres.
The worsening will finally also involve a good part of the Centre-South (especially the Tyrrhenian side) and the two Major Islands.
On Sunday 7 January the meteorological picture will be far from calm again. Indeed, the cyclonic vortex will deepen further in the lower Adriatic, triggering new heavy rainfall in Emilia Romagna (with snow up to the hills) and in almost all the central-southern regions, where we will still have the risk of thunderstorms and cloudbursts.
Also noteworthy is the strong wind: if the Mistral will blow at over 70-80 km/h on Sardinia and the middle and lower Tyrrhenian Sea, Bora and Grecale will instead break into the Adriatic Sea and cause a drop in temperatures.
Thermal values will fall below climatic averages after a long period characterized by anomalous heat.
Antonio Sanò, founder of the website www.iLMeteo.it, also spoke on these issues and we asked him what will happen in the next few days.
It is confirmed that, in the next few hours, a North Atlantic trough, filled with colder and more unstable air, will reach the central Mediterranean favoring the genesis of a cyclone: the Befana Cyclone will immediately bring a worsening, already on the eve of the Epiphany, towards the North West and the Tyrrhenian regions, then from the afternoon also towards the North East.
What will happen for Epiphany?
‘Epiphany will take all the heat away’, confirmed. The rain, wind and snowfall will sweep away the warm air masses, a memory of an autumn that no longer exists, from all over the territory: even in the southern regions the temperature drop will be widespread. The bad weather will especially hit the Triveneto with exceptional rainfall, up to 100 mm is expected in 24 hours in Friuli and beyond. All this precipitation, above 6-800 metres, will be snowy and a significant snowfall is expected with accumulations of up to 50-70 cm in 24 hours in the central-eastern Alps. The wind will blow very strong in the Alps, the South and Sardinia. Welcome winter!
Will we still have bad weather on Sunday?
In part yes: on Sunday 7 January the Befana Cyclone will move towards the Middle Adriatic ‘sucking’ icy air from the Balkans, of distant Russian and polar origins. The temperature drop will be even more accentuated, accompanied by Bora winds on the Upper Adriatic, and will favor snowfall up to hilly altitudes even on the Apennine ridge! The heaviest rains will hit Romagna, Marche and the Lower Tyrrhenian Sea. Finally, the winds will blow up to very strong storms on the Major Islands and maritime connections will be difficult.
Conclusions?
The weekend will bring an important change of season, but some surprises could arise with the end of the Christmas holidays: next week, snowfall at low altitudes cannot be ruled out in regions that until yesterday recorded maximums of 20°C!
White flakes will be possible between Monday and Wednesday on Marche, Umbria and Abruzzo, up to low hill levels: the Befana Cyclone will therefore be remembered until at least January 10th, for the weather disruption caused and for the pull of Russian polar air towards the ‘Italy.
2024-01-05 10:48:00
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