Cold drop

[b] If a sudden cut off in the jet stream takes place (particularly on the Atlantic Ocean), a pocket of cold air detaches from the main jet stream, moving southward over the Pyrenees into the warm air over Spain, causing its most dramatic effects in the southeast of Spain, particularly along the Spanish Mediterranean coast, especially in the Valencian Community.

The Vallès floods on 25 September 1962 in the province of Barcelona were caused by a cold drop (gota fría),[7] producing heavy rain, overflowing the Llobregat and Besòs rivers.

On the night of 29-30 October 2024, a DANA event caused considerable loss of life and extensive damage, especially in the Valencian Community[8] and the provinces of Albacete,[9] Almería,[10][11] and Málaga.

[12] Cut-off lows are apparent near the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in the Colombian Caribbean, with peaks surpassing 5 km in altitude in close proximity to a warm sea.

In the northern hemisphere, besides Southern Europe and France, they can occur in China and Siberia, North Pacific, Northeastern United States and the northeast Atlantic.