Derivation of statistical relationship between central western Mediterranean sea surface temperature anomalies and climatic features in Tuscany (Italy) on a monthly basis

Several recent studies have demonstrated both the value of sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTa) as medium-long range predictors for weather anomalies and the relative sensitivity of prognostic models to SSTa themselves after the first 10 days of the forecasts. SSTa data obtained from the Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (COADS) for Central-Western Mediterranean for the period 1951-1991 are employed to derive statistical relationships between monthly average sea surface temperatures observations and climatic anomalies in Tuscany (Italy), in terms of rainfall during the same time period. The analysis is performed on a regional basis, i.e. it accounts for possible inhomogeneity of the atmospheric responses over the (complex) study area.