Cold Start to April Awaits Europe After Double Dose of Chill

Written by
Rachel Morison
Written by

Rachel Morison

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(Bloomberg) -- The cold weather that kept most of northern Europe in the freezer this month will last into April as a high pressure over Scandinavia will keep any signs of spring at bay.

Europe's energy markets are still reeling from two bouts of freezing weather, from Siberia and the Arctic, that ushered in the coldest March for six years just after the chilliest February in a decade. Six forecasters surveyed by Bloomberg all agree that northern Europe hasn't seen the last of the cool weather, while only the south-east could finally start to feel a bit more springlike.

The cold spells have tested energy and transport networks across Europe and sent gas and power prices soaring. Traders drawing gas out of storage to meet jumping demand has left the region's inventories at the lowest level since at least 2009, while Nordic hydro power reservoirs haven't been as depleted in seven years.

Read more about how bad the situation is for Nordic hydro power

“The chilly weather that has plagued much of Europe this month will continue into the start of April, but over time will ease,” said Tyler Roys, a meteorologist at AccuWeather Inc. “By the end of the month it seems temperatures will become more seasonable for the northern third of Europe.”

The biggest deviations from normal will be the U.K. and Scandinavia, particularly southern Norway, while warmer conditions are expected in the Balkans and Turkey, according to Rebecca Fuller, a meteorologist at Radiant Solutions.

The temperature in Norway is seen at 1.8 Celsius (35 Fahrenheit) next week, compared with a 10-year average of 3.6 Celsius according to Weather Co. data on Bloomberg.

March was as much as much 5 degrees Celsius below average in the east and 2 degrees lower in the west, according to Joe D'Aleo, chief meteorologist at WeatherBell Analytics LLC.

Some more views:

A cool northwest and warm southeast divide is expected for the spring and summer months: Michael de Villiers, a meteorologist at The Weather Co.
- It's a pattern that has been commonplace since “sharp Arctic sea ice declines” that began in 2007
- Windy conditions are expected in south Europe next month, with less wind seen in the north
By May, there will be widespread above normal temperatures -- particularly in Scandinavia : Radiant
Milder interlude likely for north Europe around mid-April: Matt Dobson, energy meteorologist at MeteoGroup says by email
- “After extremely high snowfall over the Alps this past winter, a combination of heavy rain and warmer air from the south in early April could lead to some rapid river level rises around the Alps”