Surface Circulation Types and Daily Maximum and Minimum Temperatures in Southern La Plata Basin.

La Plata basin is one of the most important agricultural and hydropower-producing regions in the world. Extreme climate events such as cold and heat waves and frost events have a significant socioeconomic impact. This work analyzes the influence of the surface circulation in southern South America on daily maximum temperature T_MAX and daily minimum temperature T_MIN in southern La Plata basin. A Z test for the comparison of mean values and a Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for the comparison of distributions of T_MAX and T_MIN associated with each circulation pattern were performed. Specific daily surface circulation types are found to contribute to T_MAX and T_MIN anomalies and to have a predominant occurrence in the development of the extreme temperature events in the region. The T_MAX spatial response to the regional low-level circulation is more homogenous and extended than is the response of T_MIN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]