Heat wave types in Central Europe: new insights based on vertical structure

The vertical structure of heat waves has been an overlooked characteristic until recently. Here we present results of their analysis for Central Europe based on vertical cross-sections of temperature anomalies throughout the troposphere, including links to soil moisture conditions and atmospheric circulation. Heat waves were classified into four types based on the predominant location of positive temperature anomalies: near-surface, lower-tropospheric, upper-tropospheric, and omnipresent, using ERA5 data at multiple pressure levels since 1979. For each heat wave type, we summarize key characteristics, including vertical temperature structure, typical duration, seasonal occurrence within summer, links to atmospheric circulation, and soil moisture preconditioning. We also assess the ability of CORDEX regional climate models to reproduce the characteristics of the individual heat wave types in simulations for the recent climate. Finally, we outline ongoing follow-up studies on topics including sub-daily characteristics of heat waves, off-season events, and a global analysis on the 5° × 5° grid.