[1] In this paper, we propose a new method based on the detection of jet cores with the aim to describe the climatological features of the jet streams and to estimate their trends in latitude, altitude, and velocity in the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and 20th Century reanalysis data sets. Due to the fact that the detection method uses a single grid point to define the position of jet cores, our results reveal a greater latitudinal definition allowing a more accurate picture of the split flow configurations and double jet structures. To the best of our knowledge, these results provide the first multiseasonal and global trend analysis of jet streams based on a daily-resolution 3-D detection algorithm.

Abstract:Although the identification of the moisture sources of a region is of prominent importance to characterize precipitation, the origin and amount of moisture towards the Indian Subcontinent and its relationship with the occurrence of precipitation are still not completely understood. In this article, the origin of the atmospheric water arriving to the Western and Southern India during a period of 5 years (1 January 2000-31 December 2004) is investigated by using a Lagrangian diagnosis method. This methodology computes budgets of evaporation minus precipitation by calculating changes in the specific humidity of thousands of air particles aimed to the study area following the observed winds. During the summer monsoon, the main supply of moisture is the Somali Jet, which crosses the equator by the West Indian Ocean. The recycling process is the main water vapour source in winter. Two additional moisture sources located over northwestern India and the Bay of Bengal are identified. A 30% increase in the moisture flux from the Indian Ocean has been related to the occurrence of strong precipitation in the area, and at the end of the monsoon, the recycling became a significant contribution to the last part of the wet season of Western and Southern India.

Our results also show that the period 1839-1890 was characterised by a stronger than average monsoon, resulting in relatively wet conditions in the Sahel. Notwithstanding, two of the few dry years within this period were concurrent with large volcanic eruptions in the Northern Hemisphere. This latter result supports the recently described relationship between major volcanic eruptions and the occurrence of isolated drought episodes in the Sahel.

In winter of 2009–2010 south-western Europe was hit by several destructive windstorms. The most important was Xynthia (26–28 February 2010), which caused 64 reported casualties and was classified as the 2nd most expensive natural hazard event for 2010 in terms of economic losses. In this work we assess the synoptic evolution, dynamical characteristics and the main impacts of storm Xynthia, whose genesis, development and path were very uncommon. Wind speed gusts observed at more than 500 stations across Europe are evaluated as well as the wind gust field obtained with a regional climate model simulation for the entire North Atlantic and European area. Storm Xynthia was first identified on 25 February around 30° N, 50° W over the subtropical North Atlantic Ocean. Its genesis occurred on a region characterized by warm and moist air under the influence of a strong upper level wave embedded in the westerlies. Xynthia followed an unusual SW–NE path towards Iberia, France and central Europe. The role of moist air masses on the explosive development of Xynthia is analysed by considering the evaporative sources. A lagrangian model is used to identify the moisture sources, sinks and moisture transport associated with the cyclone during its development phase. The main supply of moisture is located over an elongated region of the subtropical North Atlantic Ocean with anomalously high SST, confirming that the explosive development of storm Xynthia had a significant contribution from the subtropics

The Intra–Americas Seas region is known for its relevance to air–sea interaction processes, the contrast between large water masses and a relatively small continental area, and the occurrence of extreme events. The differing weather systems and the influence of variability at different spatio–temporal scales is a characteristic feature of the region. The impact of hydro–meteorological extreme events has played a huge importance for regional livelihood, having a mostly negative impact on socioeconomics. The frequency and intensity of heavy rainfall events and droughts are often discussed in terms of their impact on economic activities and access to water. Furthermore, future climate projections suggest that warming scenarios are likely to increase the frequency and intensity of extreme events, which poses a major threat to vulnerable communities. In a region where the economy is largely dependent on agriculture and the population is exposed to the impact of extremes, understanding the climate system is key to informed policymaking and management plans. A wealth of knowledge has been published on regional weather and climate, with a majority of studies focusing on specific components of the system. This study aims to provide an integral overview of regional weather and climate suitable for a wider community. Following the presentation of the general features of the region, a large scale is introduced outlining the main structures that affect regional climate. The most relevant climate features are briefly described, focusing on sea surface temperature, low–level circulation, and rainfall patterns. The impact of climate variability at the intra–seasonal, inter–annual, decadal, and multi–decadal scales is discussed. Climate change is considered in the regional context, based on current knowledge for natural and anthropogenic climate change. The present challenges in regional weather and climate studies have also been included in the concluding sections of this review. The overarching aim of this work is to leverage information that may be transferred efficiently to support decision–making processes and provide a solid foundation on regional weather and climate for professionals from different backgrounds.

The Indian summer monsoon onset is one of the most expected meteorological events of the world, affecting the lives of hundreds of millions of people. The India Meteorological Department has dated the monsoon onset since 1901, but its original methodology was considered subjective and it was updated in 2006. Unfortunately, the new method relies on OLR measurements, which impedes the construction of an objective onset series before the 1970s. An alternative approach is the use of the wind field, but the development of such an index is limited to the period covered by reanalysis products. In this paper historical wind records taken on board ships are used to develop a new onset series using only wind direction measurements, providing an objective record of the onset since the late nineteenth century. The new series captures the rapid precipitation increase associated with the onset, correlates well with previous approaches, and is robust against anomalous (bogus) onsets. A tendency for later-than-average onsets during the 1900-25 and 1970-90 periods and earlier-than-average onsets between 1940 and 1965 was found. A relatively stable relationship between ENSO and Indian monsoon onset dates was found; however, this link tends to be weaker during decades characterized by prevalent La Niña conditions. Furthermore, it was found that the link between the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) and the onset date is limited to the phases characterized by a shift from negative to positive PDO phases.

Intense extra-tropical cyclones are often associated with strong winds, heavy precipitation and socio-economic impacts. Over southwestern Europe, such storms occur less often, but still cause high economic losses. We characterize the large-scale atmospheric conditions and cyclone tracks during the top-100 potential losses over Iberia associated with wind events. Based on 65 years of reanalysis data, events are classified into four groups: (1) cyclone tracks crossing over Iberia on the event day ('Iberia'), (2) cyclones crossing further north, typically southwest of the British Isles ('North'), (3) cyclones crossing southwest to northeast near the northwest tip of Iberia ('West'), and (4) so called 'Hybrids', characterized by a strong pressure gradient over Iberia because of the juxtaposition of low and high pressure centres. Generally, 'Iberia' events are the most frequent (31-45% for top-100 vs top-20), while 'West' events are rare (10-12%). Seventy percent of the events were primarily associated with a cyclone. Multi-decadal variability in the number of events is identified. While the peak in recent years is quite prominent, other comparably stormy periods occurred in the 1960s and 1980s. This study documents that damaging wind storms over Iberia are not rare events, and their frequency of occurrence undergoes strong multi-decadal variability.

The aim of this study is to understand how the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) modulates the bimodal seasonal rainfall distribution across the regions in Mexico where the midsummer drought (MSD) occurs. The MSD is characterized by a precipitation decrease in the middle of the rainy season. Relative frequencies of each active phase of the Real-time Multivariate MJO index were calculated at each grid point in the high-resolution Climate Hazards Group Infrared Precipitation with Stations (CHIRPS) rainfall dataset for the first (MAX1) and second (MAX2) rainfall peaks and the MSD minimum (MIN). In addition, standardized anomalies of precipitation (from the CHIRPS dataset) and 300-hPa omega, 500-hPa geopotential height, and 850-hPa u- and υ-wind components (from the Climate Forecast System Reanalysis) were calculated for each MJO phase and each month in the rainy season. Results show that the MIN (MAX2) occurs more frequently during the dry (wet) MJO phases, while the MJO seems not to influence MAX1 significantly. Anomalous anticyclonic (cyclonic) circulations at 850 hPa, positive (negative) 500-hPa geopotential height anomalies, northeast (southwest) 850-hPa wind anomalies over southern Mexico, and a low-level westward (eastward) flow in the northeastern tropical Pacific support the MIN (MAX2) pattern under the influence of the dry (wet) MJO phases. These features are more clearly observed in the MSDs of 1- and 2-month duration and over the southern half of Mexico. The results suggest that the bimodal distribution is less influenced by the MJO in regions of northeastern Mexico.