Links to atmospheric circulation vary for individual heat wave types in Middle Europe

We evaluate links to atmospheric circulation for three-dimensional heat wave types in Middle Europe over 1979–2022. Heat waves are classified according to their vertical structures of temperature anomalies in ERA5 into near-surface (HWG), lower-tropospheric (HWL), higher-tropospheric (HWH), and omnipresent (HWO) types. Jenkinson–Collison classification of daily mean sea level pressure patterns is used to identify circulation types (CTs) with increased frequency for the individual heat wave types. In all heat wave types, CTs with southerly flow are more common compared to the June–September climatology but differences are found for other groups of CTs. In HWG, the CT occurring most frequently is indeterminate flow, corresponding to a little pronounced pressure field with no clear role of anticyclonic vorticity or flow direction. The expected pattern of increased anticyclonic and decreased cyclonic flow is clearly manifest only for HWH, while it is reversed during HWG. The role of warm advection increases for the other two heat wave types, HWL and HWO. Anticyclonic circulation supporting gradual warming is important mainly before the onset of most heat wave types, except for HWH. The reported differences reflect diverse processes leading to the various heat wave types, with the dominant roles of anticyclonic vorticity for HWH and land–atmosphere coupling under little pronounced circulation patterns, following previous drying, for HWG.