Summer 2003 maximum and minimum daily temperatures over a 3300 m altitudinal range in the Alps
| Résumé |
The summer of 2003 was extremely hot in Western Europe and in the
Alps. Here I analyse the role of elevation in the temperatures
measured in 2003, and I compare daytime and nighttime values.
Records from 16 stations at varying elevations show that, during
the night, there was a significant correlation between heat and
altitude. Hot nighttime temperatures were particularly frequent at
low elevation. The frequency of unusually hot daytime highs was not
correlated with altitude, but with the average degree of insolation
of the sites. Compared to long-term averaged values (1961-1990) the
temperatures were hottest in the normally sunniest sites. The
unusual nature of the 2003 heat wave was not the absolute daily
extreme values, but the lack of cool temperatures and the large
number of very warm days. Averaged over all climate stations, half
of the days in summer were hotter than the 90th percentile (climate
normals 1961-1990), with up to 72% at some stations. |
| Mots-clés |
climate change, temperature, altitudinal range, Switzerland, European, Alps, global warming, elevation gradient, summer 2003, CLIMATIC EXTREMES, IDENTIFY CHANGES, VARIABILITY, INDEXES, EVENTS, TRENDS |
| Citation | Rebetez, M. (2004). Summer 2003 maximum and minimum daily temperatures over a 3300 m altitudinal range in the Alps. Climate Research, 27(1), 45-50. |
| Type | Article de périodique (Français) |
| Date de publication | 2004 |
| Nom du périodique | Climate Research |
| Volume | 27 |
| Numéro | 1 |
| Pages | 45-50 |