The instability that has hit Southern Italy in recent days is now at an end. The low pressure area will in fact move towards Greece, leaving room for a radical change in the meteorological picture. Starting today, the anticyclone will return to take over the Peninsula, guaranteeing stable weather and rising temperatures. This is how tradition will be respected: Saint Martin’s Summer arrives, the period of mild climate which every year around November 11th offers a period of good weather before winter.
The origin of the phenomenon
Legend has it that Martin of Tours, a 4th century knight, met a cold beggar and cut off his cloak to give him half of it. At that moment, the clouds parted and the sun shone again. Since then, it is said that every year, around that date, the sky lights up in his honor. From a meteorological point of view, this unseasonal “summer” corresponds to the arrival of mild subtropical currents, attracted by a high pressure system expanding over the Mediterranean.
Rising temperatures and clear weather
Between Tuesday and Thursday, the subtropical anticyclone will guarantee stable and sunny weather conditions over much of Italy. Temperatures will rise sharply, with values above the seasonal average. In the Centre-South and on the Major Islands, peaks of 22-24°C may be reached, while in the North, even with clear days at altitude, we will see the return of the morning fogs and mists typical of autumn anticyclones. In the Alps, the freezing point will rise to 3600 metres, an almost summer value, a sign of the strong thermal anomaly on the way.
A week of calm before the cold
Until the following weekend, the dominance of high pressure will remain unchallenged, offering clear days and an almost spring-like climate. However, forecast models indicate that cold arctic currents could appear from the second half of November, ready to interrupt the mild balance of these days. For now, Italy can enjoy a few days of sun, calm and warmth, a last breath of autumn which, as per tradition, brings with it the sweetness of the San Martino Summer.
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