Will the Netherlands and Belgium get warm spring weather this weekend thanks to the ‘Spanish plume’?

The first weekend of April could turn out to be very Spanish in the Netherlands and Belgium, which means that the weather will be warmer than normal and, according to meteorologists, this is due to a phenomenon called the ‘Spanish plume’. The mercury in both countries is expected to rise to 25 degrees or more, but what is this phenomenon?

It will be changeable in the coming days Netherlands and Belgium with showers passing over both countries and temperatures of 13 to 15 degrees. However, from Wednesday the temperature will rise slowly and eventually Saturday to reach the pinnacle of 25 degrees or more in many places, which according to some newspapers may be the earliest summer day since records began. And all thanks to Spain, or rather the so-called ‘Spanish plume’. Let’s explain this weather phenomenon.

The ‘Spanish plume’ (‘penacho ibérico’ in Spanish and ‘Spanish plume’ in English) is a natural phenomenon in which very warm and dry air from the Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Andorra and Portugal) is pushed in plume form towards Northwestern Europe . The warm air forms a kind of blanket on top of colder air layers, creating very sultry weather. In the summer months this can lead to heavy rain and hail showers, thunder and tornado formation, but in the fall this causes higher temperatures.

The ‘Spanish plume’ is a very special phenomenon that can also be dangerous because of the rapid weather change. It is a bubble of warm air that often comes from Spain and/or Portugal, but sometimes even further south from the Sahara Desert. This warm air can travel thousands of kilometers in 48 to 72 hours and reaches northern Europe with tropical heat and warm temperatures. But not much later the air becomes more humid and a cold front may approach.