Articles | Volume 20, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-20-35-2020
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-20-35-2020
Research article
 | 
07 Jan 2020
Research article |  | 07 Jan 2020

Simulations of the 2005, 1910, and 1876 Vb cyclones over the Alps – sensitivity to model physics and cyclonic moisture flux

Peter Stucki, Paul Froidevaux, Marcelo Zamuriano, Francesco Alessandro Isotta, Martina Messmer, and Andrey Martynov

Data sets

WRF Users Page WRF Downloads WRF Downloads UCAR https://www2.mmm.ucar.edu/wrf/users/downloads.html

The Twentieth Century Reanalysis Project ESRL https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/data/20thC_Rean/

The International Surface Pressure Databank version 3, Research Data Archive at the National Center for Atmospheric Research G. P. Compo, J. S. Whitaker, P. D. Sardeshmukh, R. J. Allan, C. McColl, X. Yin, R. S. Vose, N. Matsui, L. Ashcroft, R. Auchmann, M. Benoy, P. Bessemoulin, T. Brandsma, P. Brohan, M. Brunet, J. Comeaux, T. A. Cram, R. Crouthamel, P. Y. Groisman, H. Hersbach, P. D. Jones, T. Jonsson, S. Jourdain, G. Kelly, K. R. Knapp, A. Kruger, H. Kubota, G. Lentini, A. Lorrey, N. Lott, S. J. Lubker, J. Luterbacher, G. J. Marshall, M. Maugeri, C. J. Mock, H. Y. Mok, O. Nordli, R. Przybylak, M. J. Rodwell, T. F. Ross, D. Schuster, L. Srnec, M. A. Valente, Z. Vizi, X. L. Wang, N. Westcott, J. S. Woollen, and S. J. Worley https://doi.org/10.5065/D6D50K29

20th Century Reanalysis Project Ensemble Gateway NERSC https://portal.nersc.gov/project/20C_Reanalysis

Browse reanalysis datasets ECMWF https://www.ecmwf.int/en/forecasts/datasets/browse-reanalysis-datasets

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Short summary
In 1876, 1910, and 2005, Switzerland was impacted by extreme rainfall and floods. All events were linked to a Vb cyclone. We test a range of weather model setups (short spinup and standard physics are best) to understand the sensitivity of atmospheric dynamics. The simulated Vb cyclones are (not) well defined for 2005 and 1910 (1876). To reproduce the events, intense moisture flux from the right direction is needed. Storms that slightly deviate from an ideal path produce erroneous precipitation.
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