atmosphere Review Review on the Projections of Future Storminess over the North Atlantic European Region Tina Mölter 1, Dirk Schindler 1,*, Axel Tim Albrecht 2 and Ulrich Kohnle 2 1 Environmental Meteorology, Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Werthmannstrasse 10, D-79085 Freiburg, Germany;
[email protected] 2 Department of Forest Growth, Forest Research Institute Baden-Wuerttemberg, Wonnhaldestrasse 4, D-79100 Freiburg, Germany;
[email protected] (A.T.A.);
[email protected] (U.K.) * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +49-761-203-3588 Academic Editor: Robert W. Talbot Received: 16 February 2016; Accepted: 15 April 2016; Published: 22 April 2016 Abstract: This is an overview of the results from previously published climate modeling studies reporting on projected aspects of future storminess over the North Atlantic European region (NAER) in the period 2020–2190. Changes in storminess are summarized for seven subregions in the study area and rated by a categorical evaluation scheme that takes into account emission scenarios and modeling complexity in the reviewed studies. Although many of the reviewed studies reported an increase in the intensity of high-impact wind speed and extreme cyclone frequency in the second half of the 21st century, the projections of aspects of future storminess over the NAER differed regionally. There is broad consensus that the frequency and intensity of storms, cyclones, and high-impact wind speed will increase over Central and Western Europe, and these changes will probably have the potential to produce more damage. In contrast, future extratropical storminess over Southern Europe is very likely to decrease.