Development of a model-based high-resolution extreme surface wind climatology for Switzerland

An innovative methodology aimed at establishing a numerical model-based high-resolution climatology of extreme winds over Switzerland is described, that makes use of the Canadian Regional Climate Model where a new windgust parameterization has been implemented. Self-nesting procedures allow windstorms to be studied at resolution as high as 2-km. The analysis of ten major windstorms concludes that the average spatial pattern and magnitude of the simulated windspeeds are well captured, and the areas that experienced extreme winds correspond well with observations and to the location where forest damage was reported following the last two of these storms. This climatology would eventually serve to form risk assessment maps based on the exceedance of windspeed thresholds. There is, however, a need for further investigations to encompass the full range of potential extreme wind cases. The ultimate goal of this methodology is to assess the change in the behaviour of extreme winds for a climate forced by enhanced greenhouse gas concentrations, and the impact of future windstorms over the Alpine region at high resolution.