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🌀 Von Kármán vortex streets: a fascinating pattern in the atmosphere These striking cloud formations appear when airflow passes around an isolated obstacle, such as an island or mountain peak, in a stable atmosphere with sufficiently strong, uniform winds. Downstream of the obstacle, vortices are shed alternately, creating a regular chain of counter-rotating structures. These vortices are then advected by the flow and gradually dissipate as they move into the wake. A remarkable example of atmospheric dynamics visible from space. 🛰️

⛈️ Cold Arctic air is pouring into western and central Europe With this influx, numerous showers are developing across the region, locally accompanied by lightning.

🌡️ Up to 45 °C in northern India Temperatures in northern India are rising to as high as 45 °C, and several-day heat waves, locally severe, are expected this week across parts of northwest, western, and central India. India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning for severe heat wave conditions over parts of western Rajasthan. ⚠️ View current and forecast temperatures on Windy.com, including station observations from the past 10 days.

🏔️ Return of winter to the Alps ❄️ Cooler weather is set to bring snow back to the Alps, even outside the highest peaks. A cold front arriving during the night into Tuesday will allow colder air to spread southward across the region. On the northern side of the Alps, the snow line may temporarily drop from around 2400 m on Monday to below 1500 m above sea level, while on the southern side it should mostly remain above 1800 m. Locally, more than 20 cm of fresh snow may accumulate. The southern Alps are also expected to experience a strong northerly foehn on Tuesday. Another round of snowfall is likely on Thursday and Friday, driven by a frontal system and a low-pressure area. Especially in the northwestern Alps, the snow line may once again locally fall below 1500 m. By Saturday, snowfall totals could reach 10–30 cm, with locally 50–70 cm in higher elevations.

🌋A significant eruption occurred on Friday, May 8, at Sakurajima in Japan. Sakurajima, located within the Aira caldera on the island of Kyushu, is one of the most active volcanoes in Japan. The ash plume rose approximately 3.5 km above the crater, while volcanic ash drifted toward the southeast. ⚠️ Japan’s Meteorological Agency keeps Sakurajima at Alert Level 3, meaning people should not approach the volcano.

🌀 Tropical Storm Hagupit Tropical Storm Hagupit has been developing near the Caroline Islands in the western Pacific since Wednesday. Due to moderate wind shear and the intrusion of dry air, the system still lacks a well-consolidated structure. As of Thursday, May 7 at 09 UTC (according to the JTWC): • Location: approximately 570 km southeast of Yap Island • Intensity: maximum sustained winds of 64 km/h, with gusts up to 80 km/h • Movement: moving west to west-northwest at around 15 km/h The system is expected to continue moving generally west to west-northwest through Sunday. Around 12 UTC on Friday, it will begin approaching Yap Island. Hagupit is expected to strengthen gradually today, but from Friday through Sunday, sustained winds are not expected to exceed 75 km/h significantly. Forecast uncertainty increases early next week, but the Joint Typhoon Warning Center currently favors a more northward turn that would likely keep Hagupit from making a direct impact on the Philippines. Hazards for Yap Island: • sustained winds up to 75 km/h, with gusts up to 90 km/h • 80–120 mm of rainfall possible during Friday and Saturday, locally up to 150 mm • high surf and storm surge, with waves possibly reaching 4 meters along the northwestern coast ⚠️ Please follow official weather warnings.

🌧️ Heavy rainfall hits southern Africa A slow-moving low-pressure system over southeastern South Africa is bringing torrential rain to the region. According to the ICON model, some areas could receive up to 300 mm by Thursday evening, roughly one-third of the local average annual rainfall. The most intense rainfall is expected on Wednesday, with conditions gradually easing on Thursday. Main hazards include: • widespread flooding of roads and populated areas • mudslides, rockfalls, and soil erosion ⚠️ Please follow official forecasts.

🌀 Tropical system developing in the western Pacific Tropical system 93W, located about 450 km west of Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia as of 12 UTC, could intensify into a significant tropical cyclone within the next few hours. Conditions remain very favorable for further strengthening, including: • sea surface temperatures of 29–30 °C • good upper-level outflow • low vertical wind shear Forecast models suggest the system will move westward over the coming days and could approach the Philippines by the end of this week. ⚠️ Please follow official weather forecasts.

🥶 Unusually cold weather in the Eastern Mediterranean A notable cold spell has been affecting southeastern Europe, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and Egypt, with temperatures as much as 15 °C below normal for early May. Monday morning was exceptionally cold in Greece, with frost occurring locally despite the season, and Tripoli dropped to −2.0 °C. Snow also fell overnight in parts of Turkey above 800 m. The cold spell is already easing in Greece, but it will continue in Turkey through Wednesday and in parts of the Middle East until Friday. 💨 Strong gusty winds are also affecting the eastern Mediterranean, with gusts reaching up to 80 km/h, though winds should gradually weaken tomorrow.

🌋 Mount Etna, Europe’s highest active volcano, remains snow-covered 🇮🇹 Despite afternoon temperatures rising above 20°C across Sicily and exceeding 25°C in the south, several meters of snow still cover Mount Etna even in late April. In some places, snowdrifts reach up to 6 meters. The exceptional snowpack was built up by heavy snowfall during the winter months of early 2026, particularly during Cyclone Harry’s passage across Sicily around January 20. Snowmelt is expected to slow over the weekend as summit temperatures stay mostly below freezing, possibly allowing a little fresh snowfall, according to the Meteoblue forecast model.

⛈️ Heavy rainfall expected in parts of South Asia Heavy rainfall is expected in Bangladesh, parts of northeastern India, Bhutan, and Nepal over the coming days. High precipitation totals will persist until the beginning of next week. The heaviest rainfall is expected in eastern Bangladesh, where more than 300 mm of rain may fall locally by the end of the week, according to the ECMWF model. ⚠️ Rising river levels and flood risk expected. 🇧🇩 Flooding is relatively frequent in Bangladesh. The country is very low-lying and located within one of the world’s largest river deltas. The confluence of three major rivers – the Ganges (Padma), the Brahmaputra (Jamuna), and the Meghna – contributes to frequent, often extensive flooding.

🌪️ Severe thunderstorms and tornado risk in the Mid-South, Ohio Valley, Texas, and Oklahoma A strong cold front is driving severe thunderstorms across the southeastern United States. Storms in eastern Arkansas, Missouri, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee may become very intense, bringing: • possible tornadoes • widespread damaging wind gusts up to 70 mph • hail up to 1.5 inches Severe storms are also developing across southern Oklahoma and western to northern Texas, where very large hail up to 3 inches and damaging winds are possible. 📈 The 2026 tornado season remains slightly above average: 538 tornadoes have been recorded so far this year (about 90 above the long-term average). Source: NWS SPC

⚠️ Several Days of Severe Weather in the U.S.: Thunderstorms and Wildfires ⛈️ An active spring pattern will bring several rounds of strong thunderstorms across the central U.S. in the coming days. Greatest risk: southern Plains → Mississippi Valley (eastern Kansas to Alabama) Additional heavy rain: Iowa → Upper Michigan Main threats: • strong wind gusts • heavy rain (locally > 3 in) → flash flooding (with repeated storms) • large hail • isolated tornadoes 🔥 At the same time, dry and breezy conditions with dry fuels are supporting wildfire activity across the western High Plains and the Southeast. Critical fire weather is expected, especially in eastern Colorado on Friday, due to gusty winds, very low humidity, and ongoing drought. Stay up to date with official forecasts and warnings.

🌾La sécheresse météorologique s'intensifie et se transforme peu à peu en sécheresse agricole. D'ici le milieu de la semaine prochaine, fortes chaleurs et #bise pourraient accélérer la perte de teneur en eau du sol, basculant dans une intensité #extrême sur l'ouest🇫🇷 @Windycom

Elevated fire danger will persist across the Southern High Plains and northern Mexico.

Wednesday: High Plains, Southwest US & northern Mexico Conditions will deteriorate across the central and southern High Plains. SW winds ~25 mph (gusty), RH <10% → critical conditions across eastern WY & CO, extending into NE NM and the TX/OK panhandle.

🔥 USA & Mexico: Fire risk is increasing across Florida, the High Plains, and northern Mexico. Monitor the situation closely – conditions may change rapidly.

Everyone's talking about a Super El Niño. 👀 Here's what the data actually shows right now.

More rain and thunderstorms are expected from Wednesday into Thursday night. In saturated river basins, combined with a melting snowpack, this may trigger or worsen flooding. ⚠️

⛈️ Severe thunderstorm and flood threat in the Great Lakes region. Severe storms are expected from Tue afternoon into Tue night from the southern Plains into the Midwest, with heavy rain, large hail, tornadoes, and damaging winds, especially from Iowa to the southern Great Lakes.