European circulation patterns and meteorological situation in Estonia

An attempt has been made to relate a large-scale airflow classification to the local weather at two stations in Estonia. To describe the features of t he general circulation over Europe, the large-scale circulation patterns (G rosswetterlagen) of the German Weather Service have been chosen. Daily prec ipitation and temperature deviations from the monthly mean in Parnu and Tar tu for 1961-1993 have been used. It can be said that the weather in Estonia shows a good relationship with the general circulation types (Zirkulations formen) that are defined by means of the Glasswetterlagen. Zonal circulatio n brings to Estonia wet weather that in winter is warmer than average and i n summer cooler than average. Mixed circulation is associated with warmer w inters and average summers. Meridional circulation brings cold winters and variable weather in summer. To explain the large dispersion of values of me teorological elements within any one circulation type, a more detailed anal ysis of the relationships between circulation patterns and meteorological s ituation in Estonia is needed.