Klaus - an exceptional winter storm over northern Iberia and southern France

• Main Authors: Liberato, Margarida L. R., Pinto, Joaquim G., Trigo, Isabel F., Trigo, Ricardo M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: WILEY-BLACKWELL 2011
• Subjects: ddc:no; Klaus; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/48498/

The synoptic evolution and impacts of storm Klaus that affected Europe on 2324 January 2009 are assessed. Klaus was the costliest weather hazard event worldwide during 2009. Peak wind gusts reached 55ms(-1) (107kn), accompanied by heavy rain, snow and flooding across Northern Iberia and southern France. Klaus underwent explosive development between the Azores and the Iberian Peninsula at an unusually low latitude. This development was supported by an extended and intense polar jet across the North Atlantic Basin, strong upper-air divergence associated with a second jet streak and an extraordinary export of tropical moisture into the genesis region. Copyright (C) 2011 Royal Meteorological Society