Weather and Climate Extremes: Past, Current and Future

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Meteorology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2025 | Viewed by 1472

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute of Atmospheric Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceio 57072-900, Brazil
Interests: climate variability and change; natural hazards and impacts; extreme events; numerical modeling; climate dynamics; atmosphere circulations; renewable energies
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Guest Editor
Institute of Atmospheric Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceio 57072-900, Brazil
Interests: weather and climate extremes; climate variability; precipitation; numerical modeling

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Guest Editor
Institute of Earth & Marine Sciences, Gebze Technical University, 41400 Gebze, Kocaeli, Turkey
Interests: extreme atmospheric events; synoptic climatology; satellite precipitation estimates; heatwaves; drought; teleconnection patterns

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Guest Editor
National Institute for Space Research, Cachoeira Paulista, São Paulo 12630-000, Brazil
Interests: numerical modeling and data assimilation; extreme events; aerosol and atmospheric chemistry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change’s dramatic impacts on natural systems and humans are mainly manifested in the increasing frequency and severity of extreme climate events such as heatwaves, cold spells, extreme precipitation, and the associated flash-flooding, droughts, and storms (including tropical and extratropical cyclones). Notable increases in the frequency, intensity, and duration of these events are among the most significant features of global climate change and among the most serious challenges facing humankind. This Special Issue invites potential contributors to submit papers outlining important scientific investigations and the latest findings regarding weather- and climate-related extremes, adopting a broad perspective. Diverse approaches that utilize observational and remote sensing data, atmospheric reanalysis, and numerical models to investigate the characteristics and processes associated with these extremes are highly encouraged. By integrating different methodologies, the aim is to deepen our understanding of the background atmospheric factors and impacts of climate extremes, minimizing potential risks and contributing to climate change adaptation.

This Special Issue is now open for novel, original research paper submissions outlining important scientific investigations, alongside modeling, reanalysis, and observational studies on changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather and climate events.

Dr. Helber Barros Gomes
Prof. Dr. Maria Cristina Lemos da Silva
Dr. Hakki Baltaci
Dr. Dirceu Luís Herdies
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • weather and climate extremes
  • compound extreme atmospheric events
  • droughts and heatwaves
  • extreme precipitation and floods
  • thunderstorms
  • windstorms
  • risks, vulnerability, and impacts

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 9721 KiB  
Article
A Multi-Year Investigation of Thunderstorm Activity at Istanbul International Airport Using Atmospheric Stability Indices
by Oğuzhan Kolay, Bahtiyar Efe, Emrah Tuncay Özdemir and Zafer Aslan
Atmosphere 2025, 16(4), 470; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16040470 - 17 Apr 2025
Viewed by 313
Abstract
Thunderstorms are weather phenomena that comprise thunder and lightning. They typically result in heavy precipitation, including rain, snow, and hail. Thunderstorms have adverse effects on flight at both the ground and the upper levels of the troposphere. The characteristics of the thunderstorm of [...] Read more.
Thunderstorms are weather phenomena that comprise thunder and lightning. They typically result in heavy precipitation, including rain, snow, and hail. Thunderstorms have adverse effects on flight at both the ground and the upper levels of the troposphere. The characteristics of the thunderstorm of Istanbul International Airport (International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) code: LTFM) have been investigated because it is currently one of the busiest airports in Europe and the seventh-busiest airport in the world. Geopotential height (m), temperature (°C), dewpoint temperature (°C), relative humidity (%), mixing ratio (g kg−1), wind direction (°), and wind speed (knots) data for the ground level and upper levels of the İstanbul radiosonde station were obtained from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (TSMS) for 29 October 2018 and 1 January 2023. Surface data were regularly collected by the automatic weather stations near the runway and the upper-level data were collected by the radiosonde system located in the Kartal district of İstanbul. Thunderstorm statistics, stability indices, and meteorological variables at the upper levels were evaluated for this period. Thunderstorms were observed to be more frequent during the summer, with a total of 51 events. June had the highest number of thunderstorm events with a total of 32. This averages eight events per year. A total of 72.22% occurred during trough and cold front transitions. The K index and total totals index represented the thunderstorm events better than other stability indices. In total, 75% of the thunderstorm days were represented by these two stability indices. The results are similar to the covering of this area: the convective available potential energy (CAPE) values which are commonly used for atmospheric instability are low during thunderstorm events, and the K and total totals indices are better represented for thunderstorm events. This study investigates thunderstorm events at the LTFM, providing critical insights into aviation safety and operational efficiency. The research aims to improve flight planning, reduce weather-related disruptions, and increase safety and also serves as a reference for airports with similar climatic conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weather and Climate Extremes: Past, Current and Future)
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15 pages, 6512 KiB  
Article
Wind Field Characteristics of the 13 June 2014 Downburst Event in Beijing Based on Meteorological Tower Records
by Shi Zhang, Yibo Wang, Zengzhi Qian, Kexin Guo, Xiaoda Xu, Daxing Zhou and Qing Cao
Atmosphere 2025, 16(1), 27; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16010027 - 29 Dec 2024
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Abstract
Understanding the characteristics of downburst wind fields is crucial for studying structural resistance to downbursts. Based on measured data from the 325 m meteorological tower in Beijing, this paper investigates the spatiotemporal evolution of mean and fluctuating winds during a non-stationary downburst. Key [...] Read more.
Understanding the characteristics of downburst wind fields is crucial for studying structural resistance to downbursts. Based on measured data from the 325 m meteorological tower in Beijing, this paper investigates the spatiotemporal evolution of mean and fluctuating winds during a non-stationary downburst. Key wind field parameters such as the mean wind speed, turbulence intensity, turbulence integral length scale, probability density function, power spectral density, evolutionary power spectral density, and gust factor are statistically analyzed. The results show that the wind speed of downburst undergoes rapid changes, with wind direction significantly influenced by outflow vortices at low altitudes and relatively stable at higher altitudes. When the event happens, the temperature decreases sharply. The mean wind speeds and turbulence integral length scale of the downburst exhibit pronounced “nose-shaped” profile characteristics at the moment when peak wind speed occurs. The turbulence intensity at lower altitudes predominantly exceeds that at higher altitudes. The probability density distribution function of the reduced fluctuating wind speed matches the standard Gaussian distribution curve. The fluctuating wind speeds of the downburst exhibit significant non-stationary characteristics, with their energy mainly distributing in the period of rapid change of wind speed in the time domain and concentrating in the vicinity of 0–0.1 Hz in the frequency domain. The gust factor reaches its maximum at the moment when the peak wind speed occurs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weather and Climate Extremes: Past, Current and Future)
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