“Heat feather”, hot air and sand of the Sahara, we tell you everything

The mercury will soar this April 30 and strong early warmth will settle for a few days with temperatures around 30 ° C in Provence. This phenomenon is attributed to a “heat feather”, a particular meteorological configuration which leads to a rise in hot air from the Sahara to northern Europe.

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The “heat feather” is a meteorological phenomenon which becomes more and more frequent and intense due to global warming. A recurrence which can have impacts on health, agriculture and the environment. “This term was given to this weather phenomenon by Christophe Cossou, researcher at the CNRS, about five years ago”explains to France 3 PACA, Paul Marquis meteorologist independent.

The “feather of heat” is the horizontal passage of hot air, often from the Sahara or the Maghreb, towards the north of Europe. This flow is generally triggered by the presence of a cold drop, an isolated depression at altitude, located off the Iberian Peninsula. The winds revolving around this depression in the opposite direction of the needles of a watch “Promote the ascent of hot air masses to France and Spain before moving to Italy and Slovenia”, details Paul Marquis.

“Unlike the heat dome, which is a static phenomenon linked to an anticyclone blocking hot air on a region, the heat feather is a dynamic phenomenon. It manifests itself in a narrow language of hot air which progresses quickly, and affects one or two countries”, specifies Paul Marquis Meteorologist.

Heat feathers can cause sudden and significant increases in temperatures, sometimes exceeding seasonal normal from 10 to 12 ° C. These episodes of intense heat can have impacts on public health, in particular by increasing the risk of dehydration, heat strokes and other heat -related pathologies, especially in vulnerable populations. As of this Wednesday, April 30, temperatures will go up “to reach 28 to 29 ° in the coming days,” said Paul Marquis, adding that “Despite the strong temperatures, the sky will be veiled and milky this weekend, carrying sand from the Sahara. Raws are expected on Sunday evening, with stormy passages on the Vaucluse, the Hautes-Alpes and the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. ”

This Friday, it will be very beautiful and very hot, the sky will therefore veil this weekend, to then see the temperatures rebuct suddenly, “We will lose between 10 and 12 ° in 72 hours”, warns Paul Marquis.

If we can be delighted with the return of the sun after a month of March and a particularly rainy April, this heat phenomenon is not a good sign.

According to Météo-France, the number of heat waves has tripled in the past 30 years compared to previous decades. This increase is attributed to climate change, which promotes conditions conducive to the formation of more frequent and more intense heat feathers.

“Each year, in May, we beat heat records thinking that we have reached the maximum, with temperatures exceeding 30 ° and sometimes up to 33 °. But we have observed, for ten years, these increasingly recurring, intense and early phenomena. Which proves that global warming is not just theory”, insists Paul Marquis.

Meteorologists highlight the importance of monitoring these phenomena, as they can serve as early alert signals for more prolonged heat waves.

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