Poleward intensification of midlatitude extreme winds under warmer climate

Abstract

In this work, we investigate the global impact of midlatitude cyclones on the geographical distribution and intensity of near-surface extreme wind speeds in a warmer climate. We use  state-of-the-art high-resolution general circulation models developed by the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory. Results indicate a clear poleward shift of extreme wind speeds, driven by the associated shift in midlatitude storm tracks, and attributed to global warming and associated changes in general circulations. The total number of midlatitude cyclones decreases by roughly 4%, but the proportion of cyclone-associated extreme wind speed events increases by 10% in a warmer climate. Notably, the research has identified Northwestern Europe, the British Isles, and the West Coast of North America as hot spots with the greatest socio-economic impacts from increased cyclone-associated extreme winds. In addition, we also use the GFDL ultra-high resolution global storm resolving model to study cyclone-associated extreme winds.