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Omega configuration
September begins with a series of extreme events in Europe. The strengthening super anticyclone is behind a new significant heatwave north of the Alps; After the historic heat wave at the end of August, new records are set for the month of September in France, where the thermometer rose to around 35-37°C. At the same time, the freezing point in the Alps has reached record levels of over 5200m; it is the second highest value since 1954. The unusual heat will continue in the next few days and also spread to Central Europe.
Flash floods hit Spain. The cyclonic circulation near southwestern Europe not only acted as a heat pump for adding heat to Europe, but also caused flooding precipitation in Spain. In some areas of Catalonia, accumulations exceeded 200 mm. The municipalities of Valencia, Madrid, Andalusia and Castile-La Mancha were affected by the floods.
It is an Omega configuration because the shape is reminiscent of the Greek letter. with a powerful anticyclone and two cyclone circulations on the sides. These situations tend to progress slowly and can therefore cause extreme phenomena. This configuration is predicted to be responsible for an extreme rainfall event on the other side of the Mediterranean, between the Ionian and Aegean Seas. The deepening of a bad weather vortex will bring very heavy rainfall to Greece. Some models simulate an accumulation of over 500 mm in three days. This came after terrible fires hit Greece over the summer. As the Mediterranean cyclone moves southeast, it will also reach the extreme southern regions and trigger strong Grecale winds with stormy seas there.
The anthropic influence on the Omega configurations is not yet clear; However, due to human influence, mountain ridges can become much warmer than normal, while cyclonic circulations can be less cold but wetter. In fact, an atmosphere that is 1°C warmer can contain 7% more water vapor. Extremes have always existed, but human influence is changing their statistics and favoring the occurrence of very rare or exceptional phenomena, even at the current level of global warming