Cloud radiative effects reinforce storm tracks

Abstract

Midlatitude storm tracks play a central role in Earth's climate by transporting heat from low to high latitudes. Their strength is therefore set by the meridional temperature gradients, traditionally thought to be maintained solely by differential solar heating. This framework predicts a substantial seasonal reduction in storm activity, as meridional insolation gradients vanish during summer. Yet in the Southern Hemisphere, storm activity decreases by only 30% from its seasonal maximum. Here, we show that cloud radiative effects are essential for the seasonal maintenance of storm activity by reinforcing the temperature gradients that sustain it. Satellite observations reveal that sunlight reflected by midlatitude clouds in early summer creates a substantial meridional gradient in surface heating, despite the nearly uniform summer insolation. Idealized aquaplanet simulations then show that shortwave cloud radiative effects reinforce meridional sea-surface temperature gradients, thereby strengthening storm activity primarily during late summer and autumn, while longwave cloud effects partly offset this response. To interpret these results, we develop a simple theoretical model linking storms, clouds, and sea-surface temperature gradients. The model reproduces the simulated seasonal response and identifies two emergent cloud properties that control the feedback strength: the maximum attainable cloud albedo and the sensitivity of cloud cover to storm activity. Together, these findings indicate that cloud radiative feedbacks are key to maintaining the thermal gradients that sustain storm activity. More broadly, they reveal a strong coupling among storms, clouds, and the ocean spanning distinct spatial and temporal scales.