What was done
The authors examined 120- to 225-year records of gale-days per year from five locations scattered across Scotland, northwest Ireland and Iceland, which they discuss and compare with a much longer 2000-year record for the same general region.

What was learned
Four of the five century-scale records show a greater frequency of storminess in the cooler 1800s and early 1900s than throughout the remainder of the warmer 20th century.  In addition, Dawson et al. report that "considered over the last ca. 2000 years, it would appear that winter storminess and climate-driven coastal erosion was at a minimum during the Medieval Warm Period."

What it means
Both the one- to two-century records and the 2000-year record indicate that North Atlantic storminess has historically been greater during cooler, as compared to warmer, periods of time, which is just the opposite of what climate alarmists typically predict, i.e., more storminess with warmer temperatures.