Climatology of extreme downslope windstorms in the Russian Arctic

Extreme downslope windstorms, such as bora on Wrangel Island and other Arctic regions, show significant negative trends in frequency and intensity, largely driven by Arctic circulation variability and sea-ice loss. While these storms share similarities in large-scale atmospheric conditions—like elevated inversions and low-tropospheric jet streams—their transformation from weak to strong winds suggests nonlinear connections with incoming flow characteristics. Statistical analysis of wind speed, temperature, and frequency trends reveals regional differences: Wrangel Island's bora is strongly influenced by Arctic changes, while windstorms in Tiksi and Pevek are more tied to midlatitude patterns. This study highlights the complex interplay between local topography and large-scale atmospheric dynamics, offering insights into how climate shifts may alter extreme weather events in the Russian Arctic.

Shestakova, A. A., Toropov, P. A., & Matveeva, T. A. (2020). Climatology of extreme downslope windstorms in the Russian Arctic. Weather and Climate Extremes, 28, 100256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wace.2020.100256