Daily maximum and minimum temperatures are analysed from long time series for three Estonian sites: Tallinn on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland (1920–2013), Tartu in inland Estonia (1894–2013), and Pärnu on the northern coast of the Gulf of Riga (1878–2013). The probabilities of extreme temperatures (defined in the meteorological practice in Estonia as lower than – 30 °C in winter and higher than 30 °C in summer) and their successions (incl. cold and heat waves) are evaluated for the three sites. It is suggested that the thresholds based on upper or lower percentiles of the distributions of daily maxima/minima recommended by the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI) are more suitable for the detection of cold and heat waves in Estonian climatic conditions than the current practice.
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