Atmospheric preconditions investigation of wet-cold compound events in Greece between 1980 and 2004

Abstract

This study investigates the origins and the atmospheric circulation patterns that led to the occurrence of Wet-Cold compound events (WCCEs) recorded by the Hellenic National Meteorological Service (HNMS) between 1980 and 2004. The study employed two methods to provide insights into the issue. The first method involved identifying clusters from backward trajectories (BTs) at three heights above the arrival point (500, 1500 and 5500 m). The second method aimed at detecting weather patterns (WPs) that result from the clustering of atmospheric pressure at sea level (SLP) and the geopotential height (GH500) at 500 hPa using ERA5 reanalysis data. To detect clusters for both methods, k-means clustering was applied. The analysis of backward trajectories produced seven clusters of BTs at each height level. Most of these clusters originated from the northwest or north, with medium, short, and long-distance clusters observed at the heights of 500 m, 1500 m and 5500 m, respectively. Despite analysing the temporal data, no clear connection was established between the clusters and months. From the cluster of GH500 and SLP variables for 94 different dates, we derived three main weather patterns. All weather patterns showed high GH500 values in Western Europe and lower GH500 values in Eastern Europe. Although SLP values differed significantly among the clusters, they helped to identify distinct weather patterns. Finally, we found that on 7 out of a total of 94 different dates with WCCEs, large amounts of moisture are transported through the atmosphere to Greece over long distances by atmospheric rivers (ARs).