On cold spells in North America and storminess in western Europe

Abstract We discuss the dynamical and statistical links between cold extremes over eastern North America and storminess over western Europe, with a focus on the midlatitude jet stream, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Pacific‐North American Pattern (PNA). The analysis is performed on the...

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Main Authors: Gabriele Messori, Rodrigo Caballero, Marco Gaetani
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2016-06-01
Series:Geophysical Research Letters
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069392
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author Gabriele Messori
Rodrigo Caballero
Marco Gaetani
author_facet Gabriele Messori
Rodrigo Caballero
Marco Gaetani
author_sort Gabriele Messori
collection DOAJ
description Abstract We discuss the dynamical and statistical links between cold extremes over eastern North America and storminess over western Europe, with a focus on the midlatitude jet stream, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Pacific‐North American Pattern (PNA). The analysis is performed on the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts 20th Century Reanalysis. The large‐scale circulation associated with the cold spells corresponds to advection of cold air from the Arctic region into North America and to a very zonal and intense North Atlantic jet, shifted persistently south of its climatological location. These features of the Atlantic jet are conducive to destructive windstorms and intense precipitation over a large part of southern and continental Europe and the British Isles. The cold spells are preceded by a negative NAO and followed by a positive PNA; however, we interpret the associated circulation anomalies as being distinct from these standard modes of climate variability.
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publishDate 2016-06-01
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series Geophysical Research Letters
spelling doaj-art-07e4f331d7314472ae728d00b203f45f2025-08-20T03:49:37ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072016-06-0143126620662810.1002/2016GL069392On cold spells in North America and storminess in western EuropeGabriele Messori0Rodrigo Caballero1Marco Gaetani2Department of Meteorology and Bolin Centre for Climate Research Stockholm University Stockholm SwedenDepartment of Meteorology and Bolin Centre for Climate Research Stockholm University Stockholm SwedenLATMOS/IPSL UPMC Université Paris 06 Sorbonne Universités, UVSQ, CNRS Paris FranceAbstract We discuss the dynamical and statistical links between cold extremes over eastern North America and storminess over western Europe, with a focus on the midlatitude jet stream, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Pacific‐North American Pattern (PNA). The analysis is performed on the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts 20th Century Reanalysis. The large‐scale circulation associated with the cold spells corresponds to advection of cold air from the Arctic region into North America and to a very zonal and intense North Atlantic jet, shifted persistently south of its climatological location. These features of the Atlantic jet are conducive to destructive windstorms and intense precipitation over a large part of southern and continental Europe and the British Isles. The cold spells are preceded by a negative NAO and followed by a positive PNA; however, we interpret the associated circulation anomalies as being distinct from these standard modes of climate variability.https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069392cold spellsdestructive windstormsjet streamNorth Atlanticprecipitationextreme events
spellingShingle Gabriele Messori
Rodrigo Caballero
Marco Gaetani
On cold spells in North America and storminess in western Europe
Geophysical Research Letters
cold spells
destructive windstorms
jet stream
North Atlantic
precipitation
extreme events
title On cold spells in North America and storminess in western Europe
title_full On cold spells in North America and storminess in western Europe
title_fullStr On cold spells in North America and storminess in western Europe
title_full_unstemmed On cold spells in North America and storminess in western Europe
title_short On cold spells in North America and storminess in western Europe
title_sort on cold spells in north america and storminess in western europe
topic cold spells
destructive windstorms
jet stream
North Atlantic
precipitation
extreme events
url https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069392
work_keys_str_mv AT gabrielemessori oncoldspellsinnorthamericaandstorminessinwesterneurope
AT rodrigocaballero oncoldspellsinnorthamericaandstorminessinwesterneurope
AT marcogaetani oncoldspellsinnorthamericaandstorminessinwesterneurope