But,How much truth is there? why the same storm always occurs around this time? Experts explain the truth behind the legend.
How the myth of the Santa Rosa storm was born
The myth of the Santa Rosa storm Born in 1615 in Peru. Lima was being besieged by dutch piratesand only one was saved thanks to a terrible storm that dispersed the fleetLegend has it that this was thanks to the prayers organized by Isabel Flores de Oliva, later known as Saint Rose of Lima.
Since then, all storms that occur around August 30 have been associated with this legend.
Santa Rosa storm: the science behind the legend
Every year, like clockwork, at the end of August and beginning of September a storm breaks out storm of heavy rain and even hailAlthough it may seem that the climate aligns with the legend of Santa Rosa, this is neither a coincidence nor a magical event. There is a scientific explanation behind the phenomenon.
According to the scientific vocabulary of the World Meteorological Organization, a storm is when there is intense rain in the form of a downpour, sometimes with hail, with strong winds and lightning. However, During the winter this is a very rare thing.since it is necessary to atmospheric and electrical conditions that are typical of spring and summer.
“It is at the end of August that increases the availability of energy in the so-called Earth Climate Systemwhich leads to major circulation changes in the atmosphere“, he explained Paola Salioa storm and atmospheric sciences specialist, UBA/Conicet researcher at the Center for Marine and Atmospheric Research (CIMA) of the University of Buenos Aires.
“The so-called Santa Rosa storm could be said to be a early spring storm which is just the time when the flow of humidity starts “coming from the north,” added Salio, also a professor at the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences at the UBA.
This is a phenomenon known as Jet stream in the low layers of South Americaand consists of a wind current that transports moisture from the Atlantic Ocean to the Amazonand from there to the south, bordering the Andes mountain range, the specialist said.
In this regard, he said that “what causes a major storm to occur in the Río de la Plata area, or in the province of Buenos Aires, towards the end of August or beginning of September is that in general, at this time of year, Humid air from the north begins to arriveand then the atmosphere becomes unstable.” Regarding the periodicity of the phenomenon, he explained that “as Fronts are still very common at this time of yearwhen you combine those two things, then More intense storms occur”.
A front is a kind of strip that separates two large air massescurrents of strong winds of different temperatures, which precisely when they collide, produce gusts, showers, or storms.
Source: Ambito
