Storm Blas Explained

Storm Blas
Formed:5 November 2021
Dissipated:18 November 2021
Lowest Pressure:1010
Gusts:140km/h at Cap Bear, France
Maximum Snow:Unknown
Maximum Rain:118.8mm in Escorca, Son Torrella
Power Outages:Unknown
Fatalities:9 total
Damages:Unknown
Partof:2021–22 European windstorm season

Storm Blas was a small extratropical cyclone and Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone that caused devastation and disruption across the Balearic Islands, Spain, France, and Italy during early and mid-November 2021. The storm was named by Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (AEMET) on 5 November, with the agency issuing wind and rain alerts to the Balearic archipelago and other areas reaching the eastern coasts of Spain, as Blas approached from the east. It then turned eastward after moving slowly westward, and the storm meandered across the western Mediterranean for the next several days, before eventually dissipating to the west of Italy on 18 November.

Heavy rainfall and gusty winds impacted the Balearic Islands as a result of Blas, with trees being damaged and many water basins overflowing. A rescue was conducted on 10 November in Mallorca for a stranded crew member of a sailboat. No deaths were reported on the island, but the storm brought property damages on the archipelago. Algeria was also affected by the storm, with numerous landslides being documented over the country, especially Algiers. Six fatalities were reported in the region, with two additional people being injured. Three more deaths occurred in Sicily, along with reported heavy wind gusts in France. A total of 9 deaths were reported from the storm; the total damage is still currently unknown.

Meteorological history

Blas originated from an extratropical low of the coast of Algeria on 5 November. At 10:15 UTC that same day, Blas was named by the Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (AEMET), due to the potential for the storm to bring strong wind gusts to the Balearic Islands.[1] However, the weather map of the Free University of Berlin (FUB), along with satellite imagery available at that time indicated that the storm had no evident circulation at that time.[2] According to AEMET, the storm formed from the process of "Mediterranean cyclogenesis" from a trough that crossed through the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean.[1] On the next day, a synoptic map published by the FUB indicated that Blas had become better-defined between the Balearic Islands and the island of Sardinia.[3] For the next three days, Blas slowly moved west-southwestward, affecting the Balearic Archipelago and the nearby Algeria. On 8 November, Blas initiated a slow clockwise loop for the next five days, looping towards Corsica and then back towards the Balearic Islands, while gradually strengthening. A peak pressure of 1010mbar was reported by the FUB's weather map on 8–9 November, with the storm peaking on 10 November.[4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Around 11 November, Blas exhibited compact convection over its center, resembling a tropical cyclone in appearance, though this was short-lived.[9] On 12 November, Blas' center split into two lows, though they recombined by the next day.[10] [11] The AEMET noted that Blas continued moving towards the east, moving across the Mediterranean and Tyrrhenian Sea, where it caused impacts that were described by the agency as "important".[1] On 13 November, the storm developed a spiral structure similar to those of tropical cyclones while situated near the Balearic Islands,[12] and the storm also shed its frontal structure. The storm then slowly weakened while executing another clockwise loop, with the storm moving southeastward.[13] On 14 November, the cyclone turned northward, moving over Sardinia and Corsica, before curving back southwestward on 15 November and moving over Sardinia again, while restrengthening in the process.[14] [15] On 16 November, Blas turned eastward once again, passing just south of Sardinia and moving towards Italy, before dissipating over the Tyrrhenian Sea on 18 November.[16] [17] [18] [19]

Impacts

Spain

Notes and References

  1. News: Borrasca Blas. es. Storm Blas. Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (AEMET). November 19, 2021. November 19, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211119075655/https://www.aemet.es/es/web/conocermas/borrascas/2021-2022/estudios_e_impactos/blas. live.
  2. Web site: Europe Weather Prognosis on 2021-11-05 . Institut für Meteorologie . Free University of Berlin (FUB) . November 19, 2021 . November 5, 2021 . November 19, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211119075630/http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/de/wetter/maps/Prognose_20211105.gif . live.
  3. Web site: Europe Weather Prognosis on 2021-11-06 . Institut für Meteorologie . Free University of Berlin (FUB) . November 19, 2021 . November 6, 2021 . November 19, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211119075630/http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/de/wetter/maps/Prognose_20211106.gif . live .
  4. Web site: Europe Weather Prognosis on 2021-11-08 . Institut für Meteorologie . Free University of Berlin (FUB) . November 19, 2021 . November 7, 2021 . November 19, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211119075630/http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/de/wetter/maps/Prognose_20211107.gif . live .
  5. Web site: Europe Weather Prognosis on 2021-11-08 . Institut für Meteorologie . Free University of Berlin (FUB) . November 19, 2021 . November 8, 2021 . November 19, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211119075631/http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/de/wetter/maps/Prognose_20211108.gif . live .
  6. Web site: Europe Weather Prognosis on 2021-11-09 . Institut für Meteorologie . Free University of Berlin (FUB) . November 19, 2021 . November 9, 2021 . November 19, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211119075632/http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/de/wetter/maps/Prognose_20211109.gif . live .
  7. Web site: Europe Weather Prognosis on 2021-11-09 . Institut für Meteorologie . Free University of Berlin (FUB) . November 19, 2021 . November 10, 2021 . November 19, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211119075633/http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/de/wetter/maps/Prognose_20211110.gif . live .
  8. Web site: Europe Weather Prognosis on 2021-11-11 . Institut für Meteorologie . Free University of Berlin (FUB) . November 19, 2021 . November 11, 2021 . November 19, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211119075633/http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/de/wetter/maps/Prognose_20211111.gif . live .
  9. Web site: Blašković . Teo . Medistorm "Helios" (Blas) forms over the island of Palma, Spain . The Watchers . 13 November 2021 . 11 November 2021.
  10. Web site: de . Europe Weather Map on 2021-11-11 . . 11 November 2021 . 24 November 2021 . 11 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211111111324/http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/de/wetter/maps/Analyse_20211111.gif . dead .
  11. Web site: de . Europe Weather Map on 2021-11-12 . . 12 November 2021 . 24 November 2021 .
  12. Web site: Algunas lluvias en Canarias y el pseudo medicane Blas. Some rains in the Canary Islands and the pseudo medicane Blas. es. Caztormentas. 13 November 2021. 24 November 2021.
  13. Web site: de . Europe Weather Map on 2021-11-13 . . 13 November 2021 . 14 November 2021 . 13 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211113131617/http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/de/wetter/maps/Analyse_20211113.gif . dead .
  14. Web site: de. Europe Weather Map on 2021-11-14. Free University of Berlin. 14 November 2021. 15 November 2021. 14 November 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211114125928/http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/de/wetter/maps/Analyse_20211114.gif. dead.
  15. Web site: de . Europe Weather Map on 2021-11-15 . . 15 November 2021 . 16 November 2021 . 16 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211116175445/http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/de/wetter/maps/Analyse_20211115.gif . dead .
  16. Web site: de . Europe Weather Map on 2021-11-16 . . 16 November 2021 . 16 November 2021 . 24 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211124221312/http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/de/wetter/maps/Analyse_20211116.gif . dead .
  17. Web site: de . Europe Weather Map on 2021-11-17 . . 17 November 2021 . 24 November 2021 . 24 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211124221310/http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/de/wetter/maps/Analyse_20211117.gif . dead .
  18. Web site: de . Europe Weather Map on 2021-11-18 . Free University of Berlin. 18 November 2021. 24 November 2021.
  19. Web site: de . Europe Weather Map on 2021-11-19 . . 19 November 2021 . 24 November 2021 . 24 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211124221311/http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/de/wetter/maps/Analyse_20211119.gif . dead .
  20. AEMET . AEMET_Esp . 1456879347390943233 . November 5, 2021 .
    1. DatosAEMET registrados ayer. Puedes consultar los datos PROVISIONALES de estaciones automáticas de AEMET de hoy y días recientes en http://aemet.es/es/eltiempo/observacion/ultimosdatos
    . November 10, 2021 . es .
    1. DatosAEMET registered yesterday. You can consult the PROVISIONAL data of AEMET automatic stations for today and recent days at http://aemet.es/es/eltiempo/observacion/ultimosdatos}
    .

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