Snow-cover regime in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia and its relationship to climatic and geographical factors in 1961-2015

This study used long-term snow cover data from the Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) to analyse changes in the snow cover regime from 1961 to 2015. The analysis included snow cover duration and maximum snow depth and their relationships with air temperature, precipitation and geographical factors. The longitude and elevation had the greatest impact on the spatial distribution of analysed snow parameters, whereas the air temperature had the highest impact on the snow cover duration and snow depth. During the investigation period, the decrease in the number of days with snow cover was determined. Statistically significant changes were only detected in 35% of measurement sites, mostly in the southern part of the region. The largest changes of snow cover duration were observed in December and March, while a significant trend for the entire investigation area was only recorded in April. The maximum snow depth values remained almost unchanged during the analysed period.