Tornadoes in Europe: Climatology, Forecasting, and Impact

Dear Colleagues,

Tornadoes, some of nature’s most violent and spectacular weather phenomena, are not considered to be a threat to Europe. The general public often assumes that tornadoes do not occur in Europe, and if they are observed they are considered to be less frequent and weak compared with tornadoes from the United States. This opinion is shared even by researchers and meteorologists despite the long history of tornado observations in Europe and even though some of the European tornadoes were associated with damages, injuries, and even fatalities.  Very few European countries have maintained and developed tornado databases and even fewer have issued or are currently issuing tornado warnings. This has led to an underestimation of the tornado threat to Europe, despite the recent interest in this type of severe weather phenomena. Thus, without a systematic collection and verification of tornado reports in Europe, without an understanding of their climatology and societal and economic impact, without programs to support tornado forecasting and warnings, and without measures to reduce their vulnerability, the tornado threat will continue to be underestimated in Europe.

To better understand tornadoes and their threat to Europe, we invite you to contribute to this Special Issue with original and review articles about the observation, numerical simulation, forecasting, and impact of European tornadoes. Solicited contributions may include, but are not limited to local tornado climatologies, high-resolution numerical simulation of high-impact events, overviews of tornado environments, tornado damage surveys, social and economic impacts of tornadoes, future climate change impacts on tornadoes, and forecasting and nowcasting of tornadoes. Risk modeling studies and seasonal tornado forecasting are also encouraged.

Dr. Bogdan Antonescu
Guest Editor

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