Stratospheric connection to the abrupt end of the 2016/2017 iberian drought

Southwestern Europe experienced extraordinary rainy and windy conditions in March 2018, leading to the end of the most severe drought since 1970 at continental scale. This anomalous weather was linked to a persistent negative North Atlantic Oscillation pattern. Two weeks earlier a sudden stratospher...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical Research Letters
Main Authors: Ayargüena Porras, Blanca, Barriopedro Cepero, David, Garrido Pérez, José Manuel, Ábalos, M., Cámara Illescas, Álvaro de la, García Herrera, Ricardo Francisco, Calvo, N., Ordóñez, C.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Amer geophysical union 2018
Subjects:
Astrofísica
North Atlantic
North Atlantic oscillation
Online Access:https://eprints.ucm.es/id/eprint/51064/
https://eprints.ucm.es/id/eprint/51064/1/barriopedro48libre.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL079802
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Summary:Southwestern Europe experienced extraordinary rainy and windy conditions in March 2018, leading to the end of the most severe drought since 1970 at continental scale. This anomalous weather was linked to a persistent negative North Atlantic Oscillation pattern. Two weeks earlier a sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) took place, preceded by the strongest planetary wave activity on record. In this study, we explore the connection between the SSW and the weather shift by employing a weather regime approach and flow analogues. The timing of the downward propagation of the stratospheric anomalies, the transition to and persistence of the negative North Atlantic Oscillation weather regime, and the sudden precipitation increase are all consistent with the typical tropospheric state after SSWs. Our results evidence a significant role of the 2018 SSW in the record-breaking precipitation event.

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