What is DANA and how is it formed, the meteorological phenomenon that is hitting Spain?

The term DANA was coined in the early 2000s, however, its origin dates back to 1886, when German scientists introduced the concept ‘kaltlufttropfen‘ or ‘drop of cold air’ to describe a disturbance at high altitude but without apparent reflection at the surface. At the time, meteorologists theorized that the ‘cold drop’ concept was obsolete, so they proposed the current acronym.

Greater regularity due to climate change

In Spain there have been DANA phenomena well remembered for their catastrophic consequences. In October 1973, a storm affected Almería, Granada, Alicante and Murcia, claiming the lives of at least 150 people. However, the AMET confirms that this DANA is the “most adverse” so far this century in the Valencian Community, with a greater impact than the September 2019 phenomenon.

According to experts, DANA is occurring more frequently in recent years due to the progressive increase in temperature of the Mediterranean Sea.; Its conditions facilitate more energy and humidity, providing greater power. “These are events of the past, but they are becoming more common,” said BBC meteorologist Matt Taylor.

Bodies recovered from a building are transferred to a van after the floods that affected much of the country on October 31, 2024 in the Torre de Valencia area, Spain.

Photography: David Ramos; Getty Images

Just last year, a study by the American Meteorological Society found an increase in DANA since the 1960s on a global scale. And this is confirmed by a first quick analysis of the World Weather Attribution (WWA), a determining global reference group in the study of climate change: in its analysis it stipulates that the torrential rains have been 12% more intense and twice as likely compared to the pre-industrial climate, that is, without a 1.3°C warmer planet.

In addition to the above, a group of specialists from Climate Center ensures that climate change in 2024 increased between 50 and 300 times the probability that high temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean would add moisture to the storm. Friederike Otto, senior lecturer at the Center for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London and leader of the WWA, adapts these statistics to the case of Spain: “The number of deaths caused by floods highlights the urgent need to prepare for extreme weather conditions. that are worse than everything experienced in the past”.

Article originally published in WIRED Italy. Adapted by Alondra Flores