Friday, January 12, 2007

We'll need our wellies

Jorge Olcina, in charge of the met office at Alicante University, this week warned that Alicante province has entered a period of intense warming that is pushing up temperatures and could lead to torrential ‘Gota Fría’ rainfalls.

Sr Olcina said that climatic conditions at the moment are very similar to those experienced in 1982, 1989 and 1997, which were followed by extraordinary downpours and severe flooding.

He added that three factors were in play that could lead to a gota fría situation: warm water from the Pacific is being pushed our way as a result of the El Niño phenomenon, the uncontrolled release of gasses into the atmosphere adds to the greenhouse effect and there is an increase in solar radiation and a drop in rainfall.

Sr Olcina pointed out that in the 1997 gota fría downpours 270 litres of rain per square metre fell in just a few hours.

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