The storm that swept across the country on Monday caused significant damage. Many people may have only seen such destruction in movies — until now, when we experienced it firsthand. According to the associate professor at the Department of Meteorology of the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Debrecen, we should prepare for similar events in the future, as their frequency is likely to increase.
The storm struck Hungary with elemental force on Monday and did not spare Hajdú-Bihar County. The streets across the region looked almost like disaster zones: broken branches, fallen trees, damaged buildings and cars, torn-down power lines. The gale-force winds spared nothing in their path.
Commenting on the events, István Lázár, associate professor at the Department of Meteorology at the Institute of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, said such events are not unprecedented — they just occur infrequently or in different combinations.
“Supercell thunderstorms typically bring heavy rainfall and intensity, strong winds, and move rather quickly. In Debrecen yesterday, the wind was more dominant; significant rainfall — considering what could have been — was minimal. A precipitation zone started forming in the southwest of the country in the morning, crossed the Danube, and collided with the warm air mass over the Great Plain, causing an atmospheric explosion. This made the atmosphere even more unstable. In the future, we’re likely to see an increase in such events. Both temperature and precipitation may show some growth. The temporal and spatial distribution of rainfall is already undergoing a radical change, meaning these events will occur more erratically. Heatwaves — prolonged periods of relatively high temperatures — will also increase in number and intensity. This doesn’t bode well, because when warm air meets moist air masses, it creates storms like the one we saw on Monday,” Lázár explained.
The expert recalled a similar event last year on June 1, when a supercell moved along the Hajdúszoboszló–Ebes–Debrecen axis.
“Back then, hail and rain were stronger, the wind less so. When a sudden downpour rapidly cools the air and gravity helps pull air down in a burst, it results in an outflow wind. Yesterday at the Debrecen-Kismacs weather station, this wind reached 113 km/h. Nationwide, however, the highest recorded wind speed was in Budapest, at János Hill, where 137.2 km/h was measured,” added the associate professor.
According to forecasts, storms may return to Hajdú-Bihar on Tuesday as well, where a second-degree thunderstorm warning is currently in effect.
“Based on Tuesday morning’s data, it appears precipitation will be more significant than wind — but as the thunderstorm zone approaches, that could easily shift. Multiple variables need to align for such an event to occur,” the meteorologist warned.
(unideb.hu)
