Spatial characteristics of precipitation shortfalls in the Greater Alpine Region—a data-based analysis from observations

In this paper, we investigate space time patterns of meteorological drought events in the Greater Alpine Region (GAR) of Europe. A long-term gridded dataset of monthly precipitation sums spanning the last 210 years is used to assess abnormally dry states using a shortfall below a monthly precipitation percentile threshold. These anomalies are calculated for 1, 3, 6, and 12 monthly moving averages. Contiguous areas of grid points below the threshold are indicating drought areas which are analyzed with respect to their drought severity. The severity is quantified by taking the average deviation from the threshold and the size of the drought area into account. The results indicate that the most severe dry anomalies in the GAR occurred in the 1860s, the 1850s, and the 1940s. However, no significant trends of dry anomaly severity are found over the last 210 years. A spatial clustering analysis of the detected drought areas shows distinct spatial patterns, with the Main Alpine Crest as a frequent divide between dryer areas in the north and wetter areas in the south, or vice versa. The patterns are highly significant and similar for all averaging time scales. The clusters are more clearly defined in winter than in summer. Droughts in the north are most frequent in the second half of the nineteenth century, while in the south and east, they are most frequent in the late twentieth century.