SEVERE WEATHER PHENOMENA IN SOUTHERN ROMANIA IN ASSOCIATION WITH BLOCKING CIRCULATION OVER EURO-ATLANTIC AREA DURING THE COLD SEASON

Blocking climatology over Euro-Atlantic region highlights two favourite action areas: the main one over East Atlantic-Western Europe sector and a secondary region in the proximity of Ural Mountain. Many studies have shown that over area where it stagnates, atmospheric blocking can induce modifications of thermal and precipitation regime as well as the occurence of climatological extremes. These modifications have direct effects upon the life of the inhabitants. No less important is its influence on weather aspects in adjacent areas. The paper aims to emphasize the correlation between Euro-Atlantic atmospheric blocking and the severe weather phenomena in the Southern Romania, during the cold season. For this purpose, Tibaldi-Molteni blocking index was computed using daily data of 500 hPa geopotential height re-analysis from NCEP/NCAR. For diagnosis of severe weather phenomena were used re-analysis daily data of MSLP, 2 m temperature, precipitation rate and the observational data from weather stations of the National Meteorological Administration. Time series covers a period of 10 years between 2000 and 2010. The results highlight the influence of Euro-Atlantic blocking upon various weather aspects in southern Romania.