Associations between low frequency variability modes and winter temperature extremes in Canada

Abstract

Relationships between patterns of low frequency climate variability including the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Arctic Oscillation (AO) and the Quasi‐Biennial Oscillation (QBO), and the occurrence of Canadian winter temperature extremes are examined for the 1950–98 period. Composite analyses reveal that ENSO plays a dominant role in the frequency and duration of both cold and warm spells. In particular, the warm phase of ENSO is associated with a significant increase (decrease) in the occurrence of warm (cold) spells and the number of extreme warm (cold) days across most of Canada. The findings are generally the opposite for the cold ENSO phase. The singular value decomposition (SVD) technique further shows that ENSO‐like interdecadal sea surface temperature variability plays a significant role in the variability of winter cold and warm spells over Canada. Differences between the high and low index phases of the AO show a significantly higher frequency and duration of cold spells over eastern Canada during positive AO winters, while the frequency of winter warm spells increases over the Canadian Prairies. These results are also confirmed by the SVD analysis using northern hemisphere 1000‐hPa circulation. The QBO, as determined by the phase of the stratospheric winds, has an effect on the spatial pattern of Canadian extreme temperatures that is similar to that of the AO. The most significant result involves increases in the frequency of warm spells and the number of extreme warm days over the southern Prairies during the westerly phase of the QBO. The diagnostic results from this study improve the understanding of the imapact of the low frequency variability modes on temperature extremes over Canada. They may also assist in the attribution of past trends and variability in extremes, and potentially, provide insight into future changes to extreme temperature events.