What's a 'borrasca' in Spain and how is it different from a DANA?
While the political ramifications of that rumble on, another meteorological term you might have heard recently in the Spanish media is borrasca. This is especially true as la borrasca Konrad hits much of Spain with plenty of rain, strong winds and snow over the coming days.
But what exactly is a borrasca and how is it different from a DANA?
What's a DANA?
Firstly, we should start with a reminder of a what a DANA is. DANA is an acronym which stands for Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos.
The official definition from Aemet, Spain's state meteorological agency is: 'A closed depression at high altitude which has become isolated and separated from jet stream circulation, and which moves independently of such a flow becoming, at times, stationary.'
In other words, a DANA is a very intense wind current that forms when it breaks away from a polar jet, a sort of pocket of cold air surrounded by warmer air that can move around and cause extreme weather episodes, as we saw so tragically in Valencia recently. It's the meeting of hot and cold air fronts causing extreme weather, essentially.
We don't really have a direct translation into English, but DANAs can be best described as periods of heavy rain, stormy weather and a sudden drop in temperatures.
What's a borrasca?
Una borrasca, which can literally mean an area of low pressure but is also used in Spanish to refer to a storm, develops when warm, humid air rises in large quantities, creating an area of low pressure.
These low pressure systems tend to attract air fronts that generate rain and intense winds over a wide area.
Unlike a DANA, which is an isolated mass of cold air, borrascas can cover very large areas and affect several countries at the same time.
They are not usually as explosive as a DANA in terms of sudden rainfall, but they can in some cases cause flooding due to continuous rain and strong winds.
While a DANA is usually very localised, especially affecting specific areas where cold air is trapped over masses of warm air. Borrascas tend to cover a much larger area.
DANAs form in the upper atmosphere and are characterised by an isolated pocket of cold air that causes instability below, while a borrasca develops from the surface as an area of low pressure and is usually accompanied by fronts carrying warm and cold air.
As we saw so tragically in Valencia, DANAs are short, sudden bursts of extreme weather. Borrascas tend to last longer but are less intense and destructive.
Due to their intense nature, DANAs cause concentrated torrential rain. Borrascas, on the other hand, as we're seeing with borrasca Konrad, usually bring a steadier, more continuous rain and moderate winds over a longer period of time.
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