Articles | Volume 3, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-3-733-2022
https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-3-733-2022
Research article
 | 
12 Jul 2022
Research article |  | 12 Jul 2022

The role of cyclones and potential vorticity cutoffs for the occurrence of unusually long wet spells in Europe

Matthias Röthlisberger, Barbara Scherrer, Andries Jan de Vries, and Raphael Portmann

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Cited articles

Ali, S. M., Martius, O., and Röthlisberger, M.: Recurrent Rossby wave packets modulate the persistence of dry and wet spells across the globe, Geophys. Res. Lett., 48, e2020GL091452, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL091452, 2021. 
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Besson, P., Fischer, L. J., Schemm, S., and Sprenger, M.: A global analysis of the dry-dynamic forcing during cyclone growth and propagation, Weather Clim. Dynam., 2, 991–1009, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-2-991-2021, 2021. 
Catto, J. L. and Pfahl, S.: The importance of fronts for extreme precipitation, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 118, 10791–10801, https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrd.50852, 2013. 
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Short summary
We examine the palette of synoptic storylines accompanying unusually long wet spells in Europe. Thereby, we identify a hitherto not documented mechanism for generating long wet spells which involves recurrent Rossby wave breaking and subsequent cutoff replenishment. Understanding the synoptic processes behind long wet spells is relevant in light of projected changes in wet spell characteristics as it is a prerequisite for evaluating climate models with regard to such events.