Researchers from CESAM analyse Storm Kristin as an example of how climate change is amplifying the impacts of relatively common weather systems.

Although Kristin did not meet the criteria for explosive cyclogenesis, it generated significant surface impacts in Portugal. According to CESAM scientists, the key issue is not the storm’s absolute intensity, but the changing atmospheric conditions in which such systems now develop.

Modifications in large-scale circulation patterns, including shifts in the polar jet stream and the Azores High, are increasing the likelihood of persistent low-pressure systems, prolonged rainfall and strong wind events. Climate change does not create new types of storms, but it can intensify their effects by altering the broader environmental context.

Storm Kristin illustrates how familiar meteorological phenomena may become more frequent and more damaging in a warming climate.

Read the full article on the CESAM website: here.

Picture Credit: CESAM.