Llasat et al. (2014) The snow storm of 8 March 2010 in Catalonia (Spain): a paradigmatic wet-snow event with a high societal impact

Identification

• Journal: Natural hazards and earth system sciences
• Year: 2014
• Authors: María Carmen Llasat, Marco Turco, Pere Quintana Seguí, Montserrat Llasat-Botija
• DOI: 10.5194/nhess-14-427-2014

Research Groups

• Department of Astronomy and Meteorology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
• CMCC (Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change), Lecce, Italy
• Observatori de l'Ebre, Universitat Ramon Llull – CSIC, Roquetes, Spain

Short Summary

This study conducts an interdisciplinary analysis of the extreme wet-snow storm that struck Catalonia (NE Spain) on 8 March 2010, quantifying its high societal impact—primarily due to power line failures caused by wet snow accretion—and proposing a new Wind, Wet-Snow Index (WWSI) to estimate event severity.

Objective

• Analyze the meteorological characteristics and high societal impact of the 8 March 2010 wet-snow storm in Catalonia, comparing it with historical events.
• Identify and analyze the near-surface atmospheric variables responsible for major damage, specifically wet snow accretion on infrastructure.
• Propose and apply the "wind, wet-snow index" (WWSI) to summarize the damaging meteorological factors and estimate the overall severity of the event.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Catalonia (Northeast Spain), focusing primarily on the coastal region.
• Temporal Scale: Analysis of the single event on 8 March 2010, contextualized by comparison with historical snowfalls recorded in the PRESSGAMA database.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: SAFRAN (Système d'analyse fournissant des renseignements atmosphériques à la neige) mesoscale analysis; Proposed "Wind, Wet-Snow Index" (WWSI).
• Data sources: PRESSGAMA database (historical snowfall records); Near-surface atmospheric variables (likely derived from SAFRAN); Societal impact data (damage reports, analysis of social network activity, referred to as "Snowfall 2.0").

Main Results

• The storm delivered heavy precipitation, locally exceeding 100 millimeters, and snowfall amounts greater than 0.60 meters near the coast, which is highly unusual for the region and time of year.
• The primary cause of societal damage was "wet snow," which favored accretion on power lines, leading to widespread line-breaking and subsequent interruption of electricity supply.
• The event was characterized by a combination of snowfall, thunderstorms, and strong wind gusts in affected areas.
• The application of the SAFRAN analysis combined with the newly proposed Wind, Wet-Snow Index (WWSI) successfully estimated the severity of the event by summarizing the critical near-surface variables responsible for infrastructure damage.
• The event was noted for its high visibility and documentation via social networks, labeling it the first "Snowfall 2.0."

Contributions

• Provides a comprehensive, interdisciplinary case study linking specific meteorological conditions (wet snow, wind) to extreme infrastructure vulnerability and societal disruption in a Mediterranean coastal region.
• Introduces an original diagnostic tool, the Wind, Wet-Snow Index (WWSI), designed specifically to quantify the severity of wet-snow events based on their potential for infrastructure damage.
• Contextualizes the 2010 event as a paradigmatic example of a high-impact wet-snow hazard, highlighting the need for improved hazard preparedness and multidisciplinary analysis.

Funding

Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Llasat2014snow,
  author = {Llasat, María Carmen and Turco, Marco and Quintana‐Seguí, Pere and Llasat-Botija, Montserrat},
  title = {The snow storm of 8 March 2010 in Catalonia (Spain): a paradigmatic wet-snow event with a high societal impact},
  journal = {Natural hazards and earth system sciences},
  year = {2014},
  doi = {10.5194/nhess-14-427-2014},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-14-427-2014}
}

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