Climatology of Severe Convective Environments from the 20th Century Reanalysis

Variability of U.S. severe convective environments is examined using 20^th Century Reanalysis (version 2c), which spans the longest temporal record of any reanalysis dataset. This is the first attempt to reconstruct hazardous convective weather environments on the century timescale. A 56-member ensemble is used to assess uncertainty in estimates of environments (e.g., CAPE and deep-layer wind shear) across various U.S. regions. This study intends to fill a void in our current understanding of long-term historical variability of environmental conditions favorable for severe local storms.