Europe’s mild weather means a less white Christmas, but it will ease strain on power grids | Popgen Tech

PARIS – Mild weather is expected to remain across most of Europe during the holiday, reducing the chances of a white Christmas but easing pressure on the region’s power grids.

Temperatures in Paris and Frankfurt are expected to be about 7 degrees C warmer than seasonal norms on Friday, Maxar Technologies said in a report. The mild weather is expected to continue through the first week of January, it said.

That prospect will ease the pressure on Europe’s energy systems, which were strained earlier in December by the first cold blast of the winter.

European natural gas prices fell for a fifth day, while the region’s gas storage remains 83 percent full.

Demand for power and gas usually drops during the holiday period, with most offices and businesses closed. A total of 71.4 warming degree days are expected for Dec. 27 through Dec. 31, below the 10-year average of 76.4 days, Maxar said.

German wind output is expected to peak at 15,093 megawatts at midnight Friday, compared with a peak of 19,442 megawatts at 11 a.m. Thursday, according to Bloomberg modeling and EEX data.

Further north, the Nordics will remain icy with the potential for snow. The temperature in Oslo on Christmas Eve could be 11 degrees C below the seasonal average, according to Maxar. BLOOM MOUNTAIN