Time is running and the first half of Winter 2021/2022 is behind us.
In the following 2 articles, we will look at ESRL composites for Europe and North America for 2 periods: A) the first half of Winter 2021/2022 (1.12.2021-14.1.2022) and B) The first 2 January 2022 weeks (1.1.-14.1.2022).
Low geopotential anomaly above the eastern half of Europe and higher above westernmost parts appeared in both periods, but the first half of Winter 2021/2022 appears much colder such as the first 2 weeks of January 2022.
In the first half of January 2022, the Azores high was stronger, with a result of surprising winter warm spells, with temperatures in mid-latitudes up to +20°C.
Temperature anomalies from long-term average reached in the first half of January 2022 in northern Germany and Southern and Eastern Carpathians almost +4°C. Warm temperature anomaly hit almost all Europe except Genoa region and central Scandinavia.
The first half of Winter 2021/2022 was relatively colder, with temperature anomalies above +2°C above long-term average only in Benelux, England, NW Germany, S Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, E Hungary, and E Serbia. Central Scandinavia, and the northern half of European Russia were -1/-3°C colder than average.
Surprising should be heavy precipitation in the eastern half of the Mediterranean, mainly region of Greece, S, and W Turkey, S Italy, the northern coast of Libya, Egypt, Cyprus, and the coast of Lebanon and Israel. Above-average were parts of France and Ukraine, too.
Drier were Portugal, the Balearic Islands, Scotland, or southern Norway.
The rest of January should make monthly temperature anomalies in Central, Eastern Europe, Balkan, and Turkey much colder, but in February, NAO+ and strong Azores high is again predicted, with a shift into the warmer character of all Winter 2021/2022.
Source: ESRL /https://psl.noaa.gov/data/composites/day/
The first half of Winter 2021/2022 /Source: https://psl.noaa.gov/data/composites/day/
The first 2 weeks / The first 2 half of January 2022 /Source: https://psl.noaa.gov/data/composites/day/
