Europe is safe from the extreme American cold

In recent days, the United States has faced extreme cold, with temperatures of minus 40 degrees Celsius being no exception. Flights have been cancelled, highways closed and there is even a risk of frostbite to the skin. It hasn’t been this cold since 1977, and it’s safe to call it an “exceptional blizzard”, says meteorologist Reinout van den Born of Weer.nl.

And this, according to Van den Born, is due to a combination of several factors. “Not only was it very cold, but it snowed in many places. Also, there was a very strong wind. So it was really a storm. The images said it all: a few meters of visibility, completely snow-covered roads and rescuers who had nowhere to go.

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Due to the blocked rescue services, the number of victims continues to rise sharply, he believes. “Often the emergency services, on their way to a person in need, were simply stuck themselves. And so in the end they didn’t come.

No problem

Although North America is at the same latitude as France or Spain, Europe doesn’t have to worry about the same kind of cold front or maybe even an American cold tail. “The situation there is very different from that in Europe,” continues Van den Born. “There are mountains, but they are longitudinal if you look north. So they don’t stop the cold, and once the cold air from Canada – where it’s always cold in the winter – starts flowing south, there’s no sea or anything for the warm up a bit, as is the case with us. The tune retains its character and has now even reached New Mexico.

“It’s almost impossible”

And precisely these warm waters in Europe are our salvation, thinks Van den Born. “It’s almost impossible because of the incredibly warm seas we have in Europe,” he says. “There are a few known examples in the Netherlands where it was cold, like in 1979, but that was over 44 years ago.”

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The meteorologist attributes the fact that it is so cold in the United States to climate change. And he thinks that’s pretty crazy. “They were able to show in North America that due to higher temperatures and a weaker jet stream, situations arise more often in which the Canadian cold can dip south.”