The cyclonic activity and frequency of dangerous weather phenomena over the territory of Belarus

Abstract

In recent decades in the world, and in the Republic of Belarus in particular, the question of the impact of weather conditions on the development of sectors of the economy and life of the population has become acute. The sudden changes in weather conditions can lead to adverse and dangerous weather phenomena that cause significant damage to the country’s economy. This paper examines the frequency of dangerous weather phenomena in cyclones of different trajectories that moved through the territory of the Republic of Belarus during the period of 1995–2015. It is identified that southern and western cyclones caused dangerous weather events over the territory of Belarus. The interannual and seasonal frequency of cyclones causing dangerous weather phenomena in Belarus was analyzed. It is shown that the largest number of southern and western cyclones was characteristic mainly for the summer period, as well as the transitional seasons of the year, therefore the dangerous weather phenomena were associated mainly with the development of severe convection on atmospheric fronts. Such phenomena as very heavy rain, snowfall and wind had the highest frequency in cyclones, as in southern as western trajectories. The share of strong sticking of wet snow and large hail were isolated cases and these phenomena were recorded locally over the territory of country.

Keywords

• cyclonic circulation
• trajectories of cyclones
• dangerous weather phenomena