Reanalysis suggests long-term upward trends in European storminess since 1871

Abstract

Regional trends of wind storm occurrence in Europe are investigated using the 20th Century Reanalysis (20CR). While based on surface observations only, this dataset produces storm events in good agreement with the traditional ERA40 and NCEP reanalyses. Time series display decadal-scale variability in the occurrence of wind storms since 1871, including a period of enhanced storm activity during the early 20th century. Still, significant upward trends are found in central, northern and western Europe, related to unprecedented high values of the storminess measures towards the end of the 20th century, particularly in the North Sea and Baltic Sea regions. Copyright 2011 by the American Geophysical Union.