Her name is Danielle and it is the first Atlantic hurricane of 2022, just formed in the middle of the ocean, in an area unusually north, west of the Azores archipelago.

This particular, the unusual area in which the hurricane is developing, an area of ​​the Atlantic characterized by strong temperature anomalies, with values ​​of about + 4 ° C + 5 ° C above average, has triggered a series of fears and conjectures about the consequences it could cause if it approaches the European coasts as a category 1 hurricane. Such high sea surface temperatures in fact favor the development of tropical cyclones and are playing a very important role in the development of hurricane "Danielle" .

The forecasts of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the American body that deals with Oceans and Atmospheric) estimate an intensification of Danielle, which could reach category 1 on Sunday 4 September, and intensify to category 2 on Monday 5 September.

The winds, in this phase, could therefore exceed 150/160 km / h, with even more intense gusts.

But according to the latest updates, Hurricane Danielle will remain in the heart of the North Atlantic: it shouldn't landfall (reach / touch) on the mainland.

However, it is not yet excluded that in its slow movement towards the north-west, it may veer towards the north-east, in the direction of Europe.

Some models estimate that Danielle, or what will remain of it, may transit close to Western Europe, affecting weather conditions in Spain, France and the UK, the odds in this case vary between 5 and 10%.

But these simulations are still very uncertain and it will take days to have more certainty on its trajectory.

The cause of this extreme weather event is to be found in the very high temperatures of the Atlantic Ocean, yet another consequence of global climate change.

In the central and western sector of the North Atlantic, between the parallels 40º N and 50º N, the sea temperature reached values ​​never observed before in this area, with anomalies up to + 5ºC above normal values.

These high sea surface temperatures are able to support the development of tropical cyclones in this area and are playing a very important role in Danielle's evolution.