What is behind the bizarre weather patterns that bring rainstorms and droughts to Spain and the UK?

EXPERTS reveal why Spain has been hit by rainstorms while the UK is experiencing a dry spring. 

Spain is experiencing the eighth-wettest quarter on record, while northern Europe hasn’t seen a single shower since February. 

According to the European climate change observatory, Copernicus, this is due to the strange behaviour of a high-velocity jet stream responsible for ‘dictating the weather in the region.’ 

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The airstream, which is between 9 and 16 km high, normally transports storms west to east and creates rain over Ireland, the UK, and northern Europe.

The jet stream, which normally carries warm air from equatorial latitudes and cold air from north pole latitudes, has shifted this year and, with it, weather patterns in the region. 

Shaun Harrigan from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts said that the jet stream had descended, and was causing high-pressure above Ireland and UK. 

Weather experts say this is what pushes storms towards Spain and Portugal where the pressure is lower. 

Satellite images of France reveal a shocking truth. The north of the country receives very little rain and is therefore brown, as opposed to the lush, green south.

The French meteorological agency stated that February-April was the driest period since 1959. 

In the same month, the country recorded its fifth-hottest April ever, with temperatures 1.7C over average. It also saw low rains for the third straight year. 

He said: “Our forecasts show that this phenomenon will continue to occur for a few weeks, and it is hard to predict when things will return to normal.” 

Although the situation is not at drought level, if heatwaves arrive in northern Europe this summer, it could be dangerous. 

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According to Andrea Toreti, coordinator of Copernicus’s Drought Observatory, the situation is ‘very similar’ to 2018, when Germany, Denmark and Sweden were hit by drought. 

In April, the UK experienced its driest season in 69-years. Only 56% expected rainfall fell. 

Experts warn that heavy rainfall could cause flooding similar to the 2012 floods across the country. 

The English have begun to prepare for the worst. They are already irrigating fields and reservoirs are 6 percent below levels in May 2022. 

In Scotland, an ‘early water scarcity risk’ warning has been issued, though experts say this concerns the agricultural sector more than the wider public. 

Harrigan added that it’s too early to conclude climate change is responsible of the changing weather patterns. 

Researchers are looking into the possibility that climate change will alter the jet stream. It’s also possible that the north polar region is warmer than usual. From a scientific perspective, however, there is no confirmation. He added. 

Although Toreti also refrained from making a link, he confirmed ‘rain patterns are being affected by climate change’. 

He also claimed we are transitioning from a ‘normal’ climate to a ‘warmer’ one, where weather phenomena like those seen this year will become more common.

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