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The current paper presents investigation of the response of silver firs growing near Kartuzy in the Kaszubskie Lakeland (northern Poland) to climate conditions. Tree-ring width series covering the period of 1914-2006 were built and correlated with mean monthly temperature and precipitation. Dependence of the growth of analysed firs on winter, early spring and summer temperature was observed. Significant relation to moisture availability was detected only for January. Analysis of pointer years revealed similar driving forces that were obtained by correlation and response function investigation. Reaction of firs from the Kaszubskie Lakeland to the extreme climate conditions is analogous to the exhibited at other sites of this species localised outside distribution range. Investigated silver firs seem to have found favourable growth conditions in the studied area and further cultivation of that species in northern Poland may turn to be successful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The paper discusses the frequency of precipitation, broken down into amount categories, on thunderstorm days in Poland during the period 1951–2000. The authors looked at the number of thunderstorm days with precipitation versus the total thunderstorm days. Frequencies of certain precipitation totals on thunderstorm days were determined for various Polish regions, as well as long-term and annual precipitation variabilities. Daily precipitation and thunderstorm observation records from 47 Polish weather stations were used in the study. Precipitation on thunderstorm days was broken down into the following categories: dry day or trace precipitation, 0.1–10.0 mm, 10.1–20.0 mm, 20.1–30.0 mm, and more than 30.0 mm. These categories were studied for variability in five thunderstorm regions in Poland. The study revealed at that precipitation occurred on most of the thunderstorm days in the second half of the 20th century in Poland (on average 85% of cases). On 63% of thunderstorm days there was between 0.1 and 10.0 mm of rain. Cases of more than 30.0 mm of precipitation were very rare (2.7%) and were recorded mostly in mountainous areas. Annual frequencies of the various precipitation categories were similar across all of the regions. There was more variability in the long-term view, but in most cases no clear trend could be established. Slight decrease in number of thunderstorm days without precipitation (statistically significant in regions II and III) and an increase in days with the lowest precipitation, 0.1–10.0 mm (statistically significant in region V) was stated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]