RETRACTED ARTICLE: Space and time distributions of major winter storms in the United States |
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Authors: | Stanley A Changnon |
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Institution: | (1) Changnon Climatologist, 801 Buckthorn, Mahomet, IL 61853, USA |
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Abstract: | Winter storms are a major weather problem in the United States and their losses have been rapidly increasing. A total of 202
catastrophic winter storms involving ice storms, blizzards, and snowstorms, each causing >$5 million in damages, occurred
during 1949–2003, and their losses totaled $35.2 billion (2003 dollars). Catastrophic winter storms occurred in most parts
of the contiguous United States, but were concentrated in the eastern half of the nation where 88% of all storm losses occurred.
They were most frequent in the Northeast climate district (95 storms), and were least frequent in the West district (14 catastrophic
storms). The annual average number of storms is 3.7 with a 1-year high of nine storms, and one year had no storms. Temporal
distributions of storms and their losses exhibited considerable spatial variability across the nation. For example, when storms
were very frequent in the Northeast, they were infrequent elsewhere, a result of spatial differences in storm-producing weather
conditions over time. The time distribution of the nation’s 202 storms during 1949–2003 had a sizable downward trend, whereas
the nation’s storm losses had a major upward trend for the 55-year period. This increase over time in losses, given the decrease
in storm incidences, was a result of significant temporal increases in storm sizes and storm intensities. Increases in storm
intensities were small in the northern sections of the nation, but doubled across the southern two-thirds of the nation, reflecting
a climatic shift in conditions producing intense winter storms. |
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Keywords: | Storms Winter Climate change |
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