Shedding light on the devastating floods in June 1897 in Romania: early instrumental observations and synoptic analysis

Abstract

Abstract Information about past floods and historical precipitation records is fundamental to the management of water resources, but observational records usually cover only the last 100–150 years. Using several different data sources, such as newly digitized meteorological data from several stations in the south-eastern part of Romania, from historical newspapers of that time, and daily reanalysis of large-scale data, here we provide a detailed analysis of the atmospheric circulation conditions associated with a devastating flood event which took place in June 1897. The floods in June 1897 were one of the most devastating natural disasters in Romania's history and they were caused by heavy rainfall that started at the beginning of May and continued for several weeks, resulting in widespread flooding, especially in the eastern part of the country. The most affected areas were the cities of Braila and Galati, located on the main course of the Danube River, where the floods caused extensive damage to infrastructure, including homes, bridges, and roads, and disrupted transportation and communication networks. The heavy rainfall events occurring in June 1897 and the associated flood peak were triggered by intrusions of high Potential Vorticity (PV) anomalies toward the southeastern part of Europe, persistent and pivotal cut-off lows over the analyzed region, and increased water vapor transport over the south-eastern part of Romania. We argue that digitizing and analyzing old meteorological records enables researchers to better understand the Earth's climate system and make more accurate predictions about future climate change.