The IRM issues a yellow alert over almost all of Belgium

Published on 10/31/2024 at 10:52 p.m.

More than 150 deaths, a “never before seen” climatic situation, apocalyptic landscapes… The floods which violently affected Spain and more particularly the Valencia region have moved the whole world in recent days. “People lost their lives in front of us,” confided Léa, a French tourist, in a chilling testimony.

Behind this unprecedented disaster in Spain is the meteorological phenomenon known as DANA, as stated by the Spanish meteorological service Aemet, also known as the “cold drop”.

Concretely, as David Dehenauw explained to us this Thursday, DANA (Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos) is therefore a cold drop at altitude. “Due to this summer’s heat wave, the temperature of the Mediterranean is still high. This heat does not disappear, and the cooling occurs ever more slowly. »

Speaking to our colleagues at RTL Info, IRM meteorologist Pascal Mormal recalled that it was this phenomenon which was at the origin of the floods which caused dozens of deaths in Belgium in 2021, mainly in the region of Verviers.

And for Frank Deboosere, meteorologist and former VRT weather presenter, this phenomenon will certainly affect our territory in the future. “The question is not if it can happen, but when? “, he declares to Nieuwsblad. “And this, even if we are not on the edge of the Mediterranean. »

“Some studies had shown that the repetition of this type of phenomenon had a return period of once every 400 years. It is obvious that when we take global warming into account, we unfortunately have a high probability of witnessing this type of phenomenon in a much shorter period of time,” said Pascal Mormal.

The day after this tragedy, three days of national mourning were declared. Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish Prime Minister, visited Valencia on Thursday morning. The authorities have appealed to citizens for vigilance, as bad weather could still continue.