Precipitation fluctuations during the winter season from 1960 to 1995 over Emilia-Romagna, Italy

¶The variability of the winter mean precipitation observed at 40 rainfall stations in Emilia-Romagna (a region in northern Italy) from 1960 to 1995 is examined. The results are compared with those obtained for the whole of Italy using records from 32 stations. Temporal variability of the time series is investigated by means of Mann-Kendall and Pettitt tests, in order to estimate the presence of trends and “change points”. Before analysis the original precipitation data set have been tested to detect the inhomogeneity points, using the Standard Normal Homogeneity Test (SNHT). Almost all stations situated in Emilia Romagna exhibit a significant decreasing trend in winter precipitation during the 1960–1995 period. The same characteristics are revealed, more significant in the northern and central part of the region, when the stations for all Italy are analysed. A significant downward shift in the winter precipitation is detected through the Pettitt test in Emilia Romagna, around 1980 at some stations, while the rest of the stations reveal the shift point occurrence around 1985. A significant downward shift in the winter precipitation is detected around 1985, when analysing the time series for all Italy. Spatial variability of winter precipitation is studied using the Empirical Orthogonal Function. The first pattern indicates that a common large-scale process could be responsible for the winter precipitation variability. The second EOF pattern shows an opposite sign of climate variability, which highlights the influence of relief on the precipitation regime. The time series associated with the first precipitation pattern (PC1) at both scales emphasises a significant decreasing trend and a downward shift point around 1985. The internal structure analysis of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index during the 1960–1995 period reveals a significant increasing trend and an upward shift around 1980. Strong correlation is also detected between PC1 (Emilia Romagna and at the scale of all Italy) and the NAO index. Thus, the changes detected in the winter precipitation around 1985 could be due to an intensification of the positive phase of the [NAO], especially after 1980.