Earth's heat center shifts entirely outside tropics, Buenos Aires hits 41.5C
Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2022 11:00 am
"Dome of Doom"
According to the local meterological agency, the entire summer "heat dome" of South America, which from a century of data plus historical records prior, has always been centered in Paraguay, southwestern Brazil, and extreme northern Argentina, has abruptly shifted south in its entirety this year by almost 10 degrees of latitude, which was until now deemed nearly impossible due to oceanic influences in the southern Cone. Not only did traditionally temperate areas along the Atlantic coast soar past 40 degrees Celsius, for the first time ever the entirety of the "center of heat" on the whole planet was within Argentine territory (which means nearly 100% south of the tropic of Capricorn), for a record 33 hours.
Usually cold fronts snap briefer and lesser "normal heatwaves" of 2-3 days in length, but the cold fronts have 'disappeared', due to extremely low atmospheric circulation, which has shocked the scientists as the area around southern South America has generally strong circulation patterns even in summer (the "roaring 40s" are located in the region), which prevents extended heat events like the ones more often seen in northern Hemisphere summers. This is also why tropical cyclones do not generally form in the southern Atlantic, as the atmospheric winds are too strong and disrupt cyclones from strengthening. It is possible that in the future more tropical cyclones could form that could particularly hit Brazil, as it happened in 2004.
The dome will re-strengthen this weekend. Scientists warn that if even part of this type of heat dome someday extends into the Antarctic regions (the southern edge of this heat dome at one point reached latitude 47), a "melt-pulse" event could be triggered.
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/ ... 022-01-11/
According to the local meterological agency, the entire summer "heat dome" of South America, which from a century of data plus historical records prior, has always been centered in Paraguay, southwestern Brazil, and extreme northern Argentina, has abruptly shifted south in its entirety this year by almost 10 degrees of latitude, which was until now deemed nearly impossible due to oceanic influences in the southern Cone. Not only did traditionally temperate areas along the Atlantic coast soar past 40 degrees Celsius, for the first time ever the entirety of the "center of heat" on the whole planet was within Argentine territory (which means nearly 100% south of the tropic of Capricorn), for a record 33 hours.
Usually cold fronts snap briefer and lesser "normal heatwaves" of 2-3 days in length, but the cold fronts have 'disappeared', due to extremely low atmospheric circulation, which has shocked the scientists as the area around southern South America has generally strong circulation patterns even in summer (the "roaring 40s" are located in the region), which prevents extended heat events like the ones more often seen in northern Hemisphere summers. This is also why tropical cyclones do not generally form in the southern Atlantic, as the atmospheric winds are too strong and disrupt cyclones from strengthening. It is possible that in the future more tropical cyclones could form that could particularly hit Brazil, as it happened in 2004.
The dome will re-strengthen this weekend. Scientists warn that if even part of this type of heat dome someday extends into the Antarctic regions (the southern edge of this heat dome at one point reached latitude 47), a "melt-pulse" event could be triggered.
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/ ... 022-01-11/