Severe Weather Hits Eastern Europe and Sri Lanka
A powerful cold front swept across eastern Poland, bringing temperatures plummeting to -20C in the Alps, with as low as -8.5°C recorded in Zakopane, a town in the Tatras Mountains. Heavy snowfall blanketed much of the country, with 15-20cm of snow falling in central regions and over 40cm closer to the mountains.
The storm was caused by an area of low pressure moving up from the Balkans, which collided with cold Arctic air, resulting in a vast amount of snowfall. This led to a significant number of power outages, with 2,900 firefighter callouts made to address the issue and around 75,000 homes left without electricity in Rzeszów.
Meanwhile, across the globe, Sri Lanka faced extreme rainfall that exceeded its typical November totals by a wide margin. Over 250mm of rain fell in just one day, causing widespread flooding and landslides, particularly in mountainous regions such as Badulla and Nuwara Eliya.
The deluge led to significant damage with up to 425 homes affected, resulting in 40 deaths and over 1,800 families displaced. The affected communities have been provided with temporary shelter, although rescue efforts continue to face challenges due to the remote nature of some areas.
In Sri Lanka's mountainous regions, a unique phenomenon known as orographic enhancement played a significant role in amplifying rainfall totals. As clouds rise over mountains, they cool and condense, forming cloud droplets that can bind together to form larger raindrops and increase overall precipitation. This natural process led to the extreme flooding seen across the country.
A powerful cold front swept across eastern Poland, bringing temperatures plummeting to -20C in the Alps, with as low as -8.5°C recorded in Zakopane, a town in the Tatras Mountains. Heavy snowfall blanketed much of the country, with 15-20cm of snow falling in central regions and over 40cm closer to the mountains.
The storm was caused by an area of low pressure moving up from the Balkans, which collided with cold Arctic air, resulting in a vast amount of snowfall. This led to a significant number of power outages, with 2,900 firefighter callouts made to address the issue and around 75,000 homes left without electricity in Rzeszów.
Meanwhile, across the globe, Sri Lanka faced extreme rainfall that exceeded its typical November totals by a wide margin. Over 250mm of rain fell in just one day, causing widespread flooding and landslides, particularly in mountainous regions such as Badulla and Nuwara Eliya.
The deluge led to significant damage with up to 425 homes affected, resulting in 40 deaths and over 1,800 families displaced. The affected communities have been provided with temporary shelter, although rescue efforts continue to face challenges due to the remote nature of some areas.
In Sri Lanka's mountainous regions, a unique phenomenon known as orographic enhancement played a significant role in amplifying rainfall totals. As clouds rise over mountains, they cool and condense, forming cloud droplets that can bind together to form larger raindrops and increase overall precipitation. This natural process led to the extreme flooding seen across the country.
. Eastern Europe is basically a snow-covered wasteland right now 
. 40cm of snow in some places? Who needs that much snow when you're trying to get to work on time 
? And don't even get me started on the power outages – because who needs electricity when you can have a warm cup of coffee by the fireplace, am I right 
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. I mean, 250mm in one day? That's like getting a whole new wardrobe from the weather gods 
. But seriously, I hope all those affected families are doing okay and that they get the help they need. The last thing we need is more flooding to deal with... just saying 
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. And to think it was caused by low pressure from the Balkans colliding with Arctic air... talk about a stormy relationship 
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. 250mm of rain in one day? That's just insane! I can only imagine how devastating it must be for those affected by the flooding and landslides. And to make matters worse, orographic enhancement kicking in like that... I mean, I know it's a natural process and all, but still, it's bloody wild 
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. The power outages must be really tough for those 75,000 homes left without electricity. But the good news is that temporary shelter has been provided for the displaced families... fingers crossed everything gets back to normal soon 
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. I mean, can't they see the writing on the wall? They just need to invest more in flood control and infrastructure... but no, instead we get "temporary shelter" for 1,800 families. Like, what even is temporary about it? It'll just be a roof over their heads for a few months before it's too cold or they can't afford it anymore 
. And the deaths? Yeah, because that's always the way it goes... more people lose everything and someone else gets to make a profit off their misfortune 
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meanwhile in srilanka extreme rainfall is causing floods & landslides and i just saw a vid of ppl wading thru flooded streets 
its devastating what are they gonna do to help those affected tho? 
and then there's Sri Lanka... 
all that rain just turned into a nightmare 
️ orographic enhancement is wild, i guess? mountains can be so pretty, but not when they bring down homes 
hope everyone stays safe 
. it's just wild how the climate works, right? and yeah 40 deaths is terrible but lets focus on the scientists who helped us understand what was going on with that weather pattern 
hope everyone in poland & sri lanka stays warm & safe 