 DISCUSSION: As a weak low pressure system recently made its way across sections of western Europe, many parts of Poland and surrounding countries saw a sizeable dose of winter weather. As shown in the very brief summary video above (courtesy of the Meteo Europe Facebook team), there were fairly dangerous travel conditions in place as a result of this winter storm moving through parts of western Europe due to the whiteout conditions which were being experienced by many people on the ground. It is worth noting that the other problematic factor associated with this particular winter blast was that the air temperatures in many places hovered in the lower to middle 20's; making for very cold conditions as well as a formidable wind chill factor at the height of this snowstorm. As always, if you are able to avoid traveling during or just on the heels of any formidable winter storm, it is always best to hunker down and wait for sanitation crew to get a good portion of the storm clean-up process underway!
To learn more about other high-impact weather events from across Europe, be sure to click here! ~Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz
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Possible Tornado Damage Across Parts of the United Kingdom! (credit: Royal Meteorological Society)11/22/2016  DISCUSSION: As of 17 November, a fairly robust cold front was sweeping across many parts of western Europe such as (but not limited to) the United Kingdom. As the parent low pressure system continued pushing eastward with time, a sufficient amount of energy was transported into southern and central sections of the United Kingdom. As a result of this combination, there was an increasingly more favorable thermodynamic environment for the development and maintenance of strong-to-severe thunderstorm activity during the course of the day on 17 November. As a result of the significant amount of storm-related damage which was surveyed across parts of both Wales and the Midlands sections of the UK, there was an increasingly popular hypothesis that some of the associated storm damage was caused by a series of tornadoes. As the associated press-released article from the RMS explained, there was a reasonable degree of uncertainty for as to whether or not the damage was caused by tornadoes as opposed to straight-line wind damage. Click the following link to read more about this interesting severe weather insight from overseas!
To learn more about other high-impact weather events from across Europe, be sure to click here! ~Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz  DISCUSSION: While many people across parts of Central Europe and the Great Plains region of the U.S. are more used to experiencing various forms of severe weather phenomena in the presence of air mass clashes which creates a battleground of air masses, there are a variety of different atmospheric set-ups which are conducive for generating increased threats for severe weather. That being said, as quoted by the staff of the Meteo Europe page on Facebook "A cold pool lies currently centered over Mediterranean and Tunisia caused thunderstorms. In combination with still relatively warm sea-water and an upper-level cool air mass generated a more favorable environment for waterspout development." As they stated in this very operationally-useful quote, they nailed the important secondary type of atmospheric environment which is also quite conducive for the generation of severe weather events. That is, when there is a colder air mass traversing across a fairly warm body of water which is precisely what unfolded across parts of the Mediterranean (i.e., specifically across areas offshore from Malta) as well as areas offshore from coastal sections of South-Central Europe!
To learn more about other high-impact weather events from across Europe, be sure to click here! ~Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz  DISCUSSION: As a low pressure system kept pushing across central Europe, the combination of a highly amplified trough-ridge pattern helped to facilitate the rapid intensification of this storm. As clearly seen in the faint visible satellite image above, you can see the gorgeous comma-head structure associated with this extra-tropical cyclone as it maintains its mature cyclone status for a brief time. Beyond a short time, it is projected to de-amplify due to less favorable upper-level jet support and a breakdown of the former temperature gradient which bolstered its intensification process. It is worth noting that although extra-tropical cyclones often do not have the ability to intensify in this part of the world due to a persistent cold advection scheme in place, there are some minor exceptions to this rule. This is especially found to be the case when high pressure systems across southern and southeastern Europe facilitate the northward transport of warm, moist Mediterranean air towards east-central Europe where warm air sometimes clashes with colder air; facilitating the increased likelihood of low-to-mid-level frontogenesis.
To learn more about other high-impact weather events from across Europe, be sure to click here! ~Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz A True Winter Wonderland Over in Northwest Croatia! (credit: Skijalište Sljeme via Meteo Europe)11/12/2016 
DISCUSSION: As a slow-moving low pressure system made its way through parts of south-central Europe, a major winter blast hit several countries which included (but were not limited to) Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, etc. As you can clearly see in the footage above (courtesy of Skijalište Sljeme), this was quite an impressive snowfall event which enveloped the regional landscape in white with at least 1 to 2 feet (0.3 to 0.6 meters). Hence, even with a well-forecast winter storm, it is always imperative to respect the power of Mother Nature since during heavy snowfall events at higher elevations (such as in the vicinity of mountain ridges) there are often prolonged periods of heavy snowfall rates on the order of 2 to 4 inches per hour. Hence, when positioned in a region being threatened by an intense snowfall event, one should always take winter storm forecast seriously and at their word.
To learn more about other high-impact weather events from across Europe, be sure to click here! ~Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz  DISCUSSION: As a classic strengthening low pressure system continued making its way out of central/eastern Europe, there quickly became an increased threat for an impactful snowfall event across parts of western/central Russia as well as surrounding areas. Though it is not incredibly common to see the first snowfall of the season quite this early in places including (but not limited to) Moscow, Russia this is precisely what unfolded during the overnight hours of the 7 October over in parts of central Russia. With daybreak having passed across these regions, it is almost certain that this quick winter blast created some travel issues both on the ground and in the air with the three international airports that are consistently very busy day in and day out. That being said, as shown above, this lighter snowfall event did create some fairly scenic imagery as a result of snow falling just beyond the wall of the Kremlin and St. Basil's Cathedral!
To learn more about other high-impact weather events from around Europe, be sure to click here! ~Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz
DISCUSSION: After several strong earthquakes struck the region not too long ago, a powerful tornado spawned by a supercell thunderstorm has claimed the lives of two people in Rome, Italy on Sunday afternoon, local time. Tornadoes during the month of November are not uncommon in Italy, in fact November is known as the ‘Second Tornado Season’ for Italy. A low-pressure system moving across Northern Italy, which brought the season’s first snowfall to parts of France and Germany, generated the line of severe thunderstorms which tore through the nation’s capital. The storms dropped an impressive tornado which, as stated earlier, left two people dead and several others injured. The thunderstorms were also responsible for heavy rainfall which led to flash flooding, including pictures posted to Twitter showing the Colosseum surrounded by water.
The region is currently rebuilding from the destruction caused by a 6.6-magnitude earthquake, which occurred about a week ago. The storms that rolled through today continued to dampen the cleanup efforts and caused even more damage and destruction to an area trying to recover from the recent tremors. Sending our prayers to the people of Italy during this difficult time. To learn more about other high-impact weather events from across Europe, be sure to click here! ~ Meteorologist Jake Keiser 
Tornado Spotted Near Rome on 11/6/16 (Source: Meteo Europe)
Tornado Spotted Near Rome on 11/6/16 (Source: Meteo Europe)
Impressive Storm Clouds Near Rome on 11/6/16 (Source: Meteo Europe)
DISCUSSION: While snowfall is nonexistent over in the United States, across the pond an area of low pressure moving across Italy brought some snow to the higher elevations of Southwestern Germany and into neighboring France as well. Forecasters say that this is the first snowfall of the season for these areas which includes the Black Forest mountainous region across Southern Germany. The snow was coming down at a fast-enough pace to coat the roadways, as seen on video posted by Meteo Europe. However, only light snowfall accumulations were expected as the storm system continues to slide to the East. Another storm will dive down South on Thursday and bring with it another chance of snow for the same areas seeing the white stuff today. As always motorists are urged to drive with extra caution when traveling through snow covered areas. It is highly recommended to equip your vehicle with winter tires to ensure you get the maximum amount of traction when driving this winter. As always stay safe this winter and keep it tuned here for the latest weather events unfolding across the country. To learn more about other high-impact weather events from across Europe, be sure to click here! ~ Meteorologist Jake Keiser  GFS (American Weather Model) showing the potential for up to 6cm of snow to fall across the higher elevations of Southwestern Germany over the next 24 hours. (Source: Tropical Tidbits). Heavy Snow Impacts Flight Operations at Oslo International Airport! (credit: Meteo Europe)11/5/2016 
DISCUSSION: As a strengthening low pressure system moved inland from the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, countries including (but not limited to) Norway felt the impacts from this low pressure system in the form of a sizeable snowstorm. As clearly shown in the video above, this snowstorm had legitimate impacts on the timeliness of departures and arrivals out of and into Oslo International Airport located in Oslo, Norway! Though this is not entirely uncommon in this part of the world by this time of year, it still goes to show how quickly changes in weather conditions at a busy international airport can delay and/or sometimes even halt travel all-together (which is typically dependent upon the exact severity of the weather conditions in place at any given point in time). That being said, the combination of heavy snow and blustery conditions led to hazardous and/or possibly even near-impossible travel by ground and air at many points during the course of this most recent snowstorm which got underway as of earlier this afternoon/evening (local time). As always, when faced with the hazards of travel (of any kind) during or close to the height of a winter storm, always do your best to avoid travelling until conditions have improved substantially so as to avoid any unnecessary endangerment of yours' or other people's lives.
To learn more about other high-impact weather events from across Europe, be sure to click here! ~Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz  DISCUSSION: As a weak low pressure system moved across parts of eastern Russia just days ago, there was a small dose of winter weather delivered to eastern Russia. As this weak low slowly pushed through eastern Russia, travel conditions became increasingly more dangerous as snowfall began to accumulate on many regional local and country-wide roadways. As shown in the image above, the weight of this semi -early season and wetter snowfall also acted to push down the branches of larger trees which also took down power lines and in some cases acted to block roadways. Thus, early season snowfall events often act to create major travel issues due to the often unexpected impacts associated with wetter snowfall earlier in the season.
To learn more about other high-impact weather events from across Europe, be sure to click here! ~Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz 
DISCUSSION: As a strong low pressure system stalled out across the central Mediterranean over the past few days, the stage was set for a persistent surge of deep, tropical moisture into this part of the Mediterranean. As a result of this persistent moisture advection, the aforementioned low pressure system has plenty of moisture to work with as far as generating precipitation was concerned. As you can see in the footage above (courtesy of Manoel Bajada), the flooding was extraordinary and likely unprecedented for that part of the Mediterranean. It is also worth noting that the presence of higher terrain in and around several cities within Malta helped to facilitate a classic orographic enhancement of precipitation.
Orographic enhancement of precipitation occurs when incoming air parcels are forced to rise up and over a given slope or mountain. As a result of these air parcels being forced over this steeper terrain, they are forced up into a colder environment (at a higher altitude) and therefore are forced to expand and become increasingly more unstable. During this process of parcel expansion, a given air parcel will release close to (if not exactly) it's maximum moisture content for a lengthier period of time. Thus, orographic enhancement is consistently found to generate locally higher precipitation totals all over the world (i.e., both in winter as well as summer-time events). Despite being positioned in a region which climatologically receives a large amount of annual rainfall during a typical year, this was still a more anomalous event which had profound impacts on regional travel and infrastructure across the island nation of Malta. As continually iterated by staff all across the National Weather Service network back over in the contiguous United States, when and if you approach flooded roadways, always be sure to "Turn Around and Don't Drown." To learn more about other high-impact weather events from across Europe, be sure to click here! ~Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz |
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