A lake-effect snowstorm over southern Europe with upstream blocking in early January 2017
Demirtas, Meral
High-impact snowy weather is usually driven by large-scale atmospheric dynamics in the mid-latitudes, while being sustained and enhanced by local topography and thermodynamic effects (D'Errico et al., 2020). During the winter, relatively warm sea-surface temperatures can pave the way for heavy convective snowfall under specific conditions and over regions with a large availability of moisture and heat.<br>In early January 2017, various high-impact winter weather conditions set in across much of Europe and the Mediterranean, with very low temperatures leading to wintry weather and lake-effect snowstorms over Italy, Greece and Turkey. The cold spell affected central and southern Europe, causing the deaths of 60 people.<br>The purpose of this article is to analyse the underlying upper-level and low-level triggering mechanisms that created these persistent snowstorms. Particular attention is paid to the processes responsible for the initial forcing, the development and the duration of the event.</p>
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