Stride Search: A General Algorithm for Storm Detection in High Resolution Climate Data

Abstract:

We discuss the problem of identifying extreme climate events such as intense storms within

large climate data sets. The basic storm detection algorithm is reviewed, which splits the problem into

two parts: a spatial search followed by a temporal correlation problem. Two specic implementations of

the spatial search algorithm are compared. The commonly used grid point search algorithm is reviewed,

and a new algorithm called Stride Search is introduced. Stride Search is designed to work at all latitudes,

while grid point searches may fail in polar regions. Results from the two algorithms are compared for the

application of tropical cyclone detection, and shown to produce similar results for the same set of storm

identication criteria. The time required for both algorithms to search the same data set is compared.

Stride Search's ability to search extreme latitudes is demonstrated for the case of polar low detection.