ANALYZING PATTERNS IN SUBSEASONAL TO SEASONAL VARIABILITY OF WIND DROUGHT IN MIDLATITUDE NORTH AMERICA

Abstract

Renewably sourced electricity generation capacity in the United States is accelerating, resulting in a power supply that is increasingly linked to the weather and climate patterns that govern renewable resources. Wind Drought (WD) is a highly variable field throughout time and space with important implications for wind energy generation. Monthly and seasonal patterns in WD were identified and correlations with proposed influences of low wind speeds revealed factors that enhanced or suppressed WD conditions. On a synoptic scale, WD shares a correlation pattern with the seasonal undulations in the jet stream and its routing of midlatitude cyclones. For certain months and locations, WD is correlated with fluctuations in the ENSO, NAO, and PNA indices. Composites of positive and negative modes identified connections with WD anomalies consistent with the typical impacts of each climate mode on large-scale flow patterns and weather effects.