Various aspects of dryness in Serbia

In this manuscript we analyze daily rainfall observational records from 22 weather stations located in different regions over Serbia in the period 1949–2007. We examine the characteristics of dryness by using the Dry Days Since Last Rain – DDSLR approach. In order to quantify the DDSLR we use three metrics for each weather station: severity, consistency and uncertainty. Results show that these three metrics vary independently of each other as well as that there is a weak relationship between them. Weather stations in the northern parts of Serbia, with moderate annual amount of rainfall less than 650 mm, present higher dryness conditions whereas the lowest values were obtained for central parts in Serbia. Limited number of studies examined drying tendencies in Serbia and neighboring countries so far. We consider Serbia as an area of particular interest because of its position in a frontier between Mediterranean conditions on the southwest and the continental inland.