Extreme maximum temperature events and their relationships with large-scale modes: potential hazard on the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyze spatiotemporal distribution of maximum temperatures in the Iberian Peninsula (IP) by using various extreme maximum temperature indices. Thresholds for determining temperature extreme event (TEE) severity are defined using 99th percentiles of daily temperature time series for the period 1948 to 2009. The synoptic-scale fields of such events were analyzed in order to better understand the related atmospheric processes. The results indicate that the regions with a higher risk of maximum temperatures are located in the river valleys of southwest and northeast of the IP, while the Cantabrian coast and mountain ranges are characterized by lower risk. The TEEs were classified, by means of several synoptic fields (sea level pressure, temperature, and geopotential height at 850 and 500 hPa), in four clusters that largely explain their spatiotemporal distribution on the IP. The results of this study show that TEEs mainly occur associated with a ridge elongated from Subtropical areas. The relationships of TEEs with teleconnection patterns, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), Western Mediterranean Oscillation (WeMO), and Mediterranean Oscillation (MO), showed that the interannual variability of extreme maximum temperatures is largely controlled by the dominant phase of WeMO in all seasons except wintertime where NAO is prevailing. Results related to MO pattern show less relevance in the maximum temperatures variability. The correct identification of synoptic patterns linked with the most extreme temperature event associated with each cluster will assist the prediction of events that can pose a natural hazard, thereby providing useful information for decision making and warning systems.