Clim. Dynam. http://dx.doi.org/msg (2013)

Climate change should be considered not only on timescales of years to decades, but also in terms of daily weather. Short timescales are particularly important for understanding the risk of extreme weather events. At present, climate models are tested on their performance in simulating long-term climate variability and change, with less consideration for shorter periods.

Ok-Yeon Kim of the APEC Climate Center, Republic of Korea, and co-workers investigate mean interdiurnal (day-to-day) variability (MIDV) using fifteen CMIP5 climate models. They assess the model representations of surface maximum and minimum temperature, surface wind speed and precipitation for the present climate and use the three best-performing models for projections for 2030–2056 and 2073–2099.

Forecasts of MIDV showed reduction in land surface maximum and minimum temperature over high latitudes in the winter, with a stronger reduction in minimum temperature. The Northern Hemisphere was found to have reduced wind speed over large land areas in the spring, and increased precipitation in the mid-latitudes in spring and winter. Weather conditions influence us in our daily lives, and this study shows that climate models can provide insight into the future of our weather.