The holiday period in western Europe has been very stormy to say the least. Wind, rain, hail, thunder, lightning – we’ve had it all, and even as I type this entry the wind and rain is still lashing our home with no immediate signs of letting up. In fact the extreme weather is not restricted to Europe as wind, snow and freezing conditions grip the north and east coast of the United States. 16 people have died, up to 4,000 flights have been cancelled, and it is claimed that today’s NFL play off game @ Green Bay could be the coldest game of American football ever played. The air temperature at Lambeau Field is predicted to be a maximum of -17°C (about 1°F), but with the wind chill factored in, this could dip to lower than -50°C (-58°F).

So how is the U.S. weather relevant to Europe, after all it’s quite normal to get storms at this time of year? Well, these ‘extra tropical cyclones’, as they are known, are being created at the moment by cold polar air meeting hot tropical air, spinning up powerful storms, and sending them shooting across the North Atlantic on the jet stream. The temperature contrast between these two air masses is producing a veritable conveyor belt of powerful weather systems.

During a break in the torrential rain yesterday afternoon, the local Galician surfers took advantage of favourable sea conditions created by the storms (and the local photographers, myself included, were also happy to get outside for some fresh air)!

The holiday period in western Europe has been very stormy to say the least. Wind, rain, hail, thunder, lightning – we’ve had it all, and even as I type this entry the wind and rain is still lashing our home with no immediate signs of letting up. In fact the extreme weather is not restricted to Europe as wind, snow and freezing conditions grip the north and east coast of the United States. 16 people have died, up to 4,000 flights have been cancelled, and it is claimed that today’s NFL play off game @ Green Bay could be the coldest game of American football ever played. The air temperature at Lambeau Field is predicted to be a maximum of -17°C (about 1°F), but with the wind chill factored in, this could dip to lower than -50°C (-58°F).

So how is the U.S. weather relevant to Europe, after all it’s quite normal to get storms at this time of year? Well, these ‘extra tropical cyclones’, as they are known, are being created at the moment by cold polar air meeting hot tropical air, spinning up powerful storms, and sending them shooting across the North Atlantic on the jet stream. The temperature contrast between these two air masses is producing a veritable conveyor belt of powerful weather systems.

During a break in the torrential rain yesterday afternoon, the local Galician surfers took advantage of favourable sea conditions created by the storms (and the local photographers, myself included, were also happy to get outside for some fresh air)!