Capability of regional climate models to reproduce three-dimensional (3D) characteristics of heat waves

In this study, we evaluate capabilities of 9 CORDEX regional climate models (RCMs) with lateral boundary conditions provided by the ERA-Interim reanalysis to reproduce three-dimensional (3D) structures of heat waves in several European regions in the 1989–2008 period. Heat waves are defined based on positive temperature anomalies from the 95th percentile in near-surface, 850 hPa, and 500 hPa levels with temporal and spatial criteria imposed. Based on predominant locations of positive temperature anomalies, heat waves are classified into four types: i) near-surface, ii) lower-tropospheric, iii) higher-tropospheric, and iv) omnipresent. Characteristics of individual types (e.g. frequency, severity, typical length and occurrence within a summer season) are evaluated against the ERA5 reanalysis. We show contrasting patterns among individual RCMs, pointing to different roles of processes governing heat waves across these simulations.