Climatology of Heavy Rain Events in the United States from Hourly Precipitation Observations

2000 ◽  
Vol 128 (4) ◽  
pp. 1194-1201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harold E. Brooks ◽  
David J. Stensrud
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Heavy Rain ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hourly Precipitation ◽  
Rain Events

scholarly journals Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Heavy Hourly Rainfall in the United States

2013 ◽  
Vol 141 (12) ◽  
pp. 4564-4575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan M. Hitchens ◽  
Harold E. Brooks ◽  
Russ S. Schumacher
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Seasonal Cycle ◽  
Heavy Rainfall ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Heavy Rain ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hourly Rainfall ◽  
Rain Events ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Characteristics

Abstract The climatology of heavy rain events from hourly precipitation observations by Brooks and Stensrud is revisited in this study using two high-resolution precipitation datasets that incorporate both gauge observations and radar estimates. Analyses show a seasonal cycle of heavy rain events originating along the Gulf Coast and expanding across the eastern two-thirds of the United States by the summer, comparing well to previous findings. The frequency of extreme events is estimated, and may provide improvements over prior results due to both the increased spatial resolution of these data and improved techniques used in the estimation. The diurnal cycle of heavy rainfall is also examined, showing distinct differences in the strength of the cycle between seasons.

scholarly journals Fungicide Rotation Programs for Managing Phytophthora Fruit Rot of Watermelon in Southeastern United States

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chandrasekar (Shaker) S. Kousik ◽  
Pingsheng Ji ◽  
Daniel S. Egel ◽  
Lina M. Quesada-Ocampo
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
South Carolina ◽  
Phytophthora Capsici ◽  
Southeastern United States ◽  
Heavy Rain ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
The United States ◽  
Fruit Rot ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Before And After

About 50% of the watermelons in the United States are produced in the southeastern states, where optimal conditions for development of Phytophthora fruit rot prevail. Phytophthora fruit rot significantly limits watermelon production by causing serious yield losses before and after fruit harvest. Efficacy of fungicide rotation programs and Melcast-scheduled sprays for managing Phytophthora fruit rot was determined by conducting experiments in Phytophthora capsici-infested fields at three locations in southeastern United States (North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia). The mini seedless cultivar Wonder and seeded cultivar Mickey Lee (pollenizer) were used. Five weekly applications of fungicides were made at all locations. Significant fruit rot (53 to 91%, mean 68%) was observed in the nontreated control plots in all three years (2013 to 2015) and across locations. All fungicide rotation programs significantly reduced Phytophthora fruit rot compared with nontreated controls. Overall, the rotation of Zampro alternated with Orondis was highly effective across three locations and two years. Rotations of Actigard followed by Ranman+Ridomil Gold, Presidio, V-10208, and Orondis, or rotation of Revus alternated with Presidio were similarly effective. Use of Melcast, a melon disease-forecasting tool, may occasionally enable savings of one spray application without significantly impacting control. Although many fungicides are available for use in rotations, under very heavy rain and pathogen pressure, the fungicides alone may not offer adequate protection; therefore, an integrated approach should be used with other management options including well-drained fields.

Salmonella enterica Serovar Diversity, Distribution, and Prevalence in Public Access Waters from a Central California Coastal Leafy Green Growing Region during 2011 - 2016

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Gorski ◽  
Anita S. Liang ◽  
Samarpita Walker ◽  
Diana Carychao ◽  
Ashley Aviles Noriega ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Bias Analysis ◽  
Central California ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Human Salmonellosis ◽  
Rain Events ◽  
Growing Region

Prevalence and serovar diversity of Salmonella enterica was measured during a five-year survey of surface waters in a 500 mi^2 agricultural region of the Central California Coast. Rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds were sampled bimonthly resulting in 2,979 samples. Overall prevalence was 56.4% with higher levels detected in Spring than in Fall. Small, but significant, differences in prevalence were detected based on sample locations. Detection of Salmonella was correlated positively with both significant rain events and, in some environments, levels of generic Escherichia coli . Analysis of 1,936 isolates revealed significant serovar diversity, with 91 different serovars detected. The most common isolated serovars were S. enterica subsp. enterica serovars I 6,8:d:- (406 isolates, 21.0%, and potentially monophasic Salmonella Muenchen), Give (334 isolates, 17.3%), Muenchen (158 isolates, 8.2%), Typhimurium (227 isolates, 11.7%), Oranienburg (106 isolates, 5.5%), and Montevideo (78 isolates, 4%). Sixteen of the 24 most common serovars detected in the region are among the serovars reported to cause the most human salmonellosis in the United States. Some of the serovars were associated with location and seasonal bias. Analysis of Xba I Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns of strains of serovars Typhimurium, Oranienburg, and Montevideo showed significant intra-serovar diversity. PFGE pulsotypes were identified in the region for multiple years of the survey, indicating persistence or regular re-introduction to the region. Importance Non-typhoidal Salmonella is the among the leading causes of bacterial foodborne illness and increasing numbers of outbreaks and recalls are due to contaminated produce. High prevalence and 91 different serovars were detected in this leafy green growing region. Seventeen serovars that cause most of the human salmonellosis in the United States were detected, with 16 of those serovars detected in multiple locations and multiple years of the 5-year survey. Understanding the widespread prevalence and diversity of Salmonella in the region will assist in promoting food safety practices and intervention methods for growers and regulators.

Characteristics of U.S. Extreme Rain Events during 1999–2003

2006 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russ S. Schumacher ◽  
Richard H. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Warm Season ◽  
Mesoscale Convective System ◽  
Organizational Structures ◽  
The United States ◽  
Convective System ◽  
Precipitation Total ◽  
Extreme Rain ◽  
Rain Events ◽  
Reflectivity Data

Abstract This study examines the characteristics of a large number of extreme rain events over the eastern two-thirds of the United States. Over a 5-yr period, 184 events are identified where the 24-h precipitation total at one or more stations exceeds the 50-yr recurrence amount for that location. Over the entire region of study, these events are most common in July. In the northern United States, extreme rain events are confined almost exclusively to the warm season; in the southern part of the country, these events are distributed more evenly throughout the year. National composite radar reflectivity data are used to classify each event as a mesoscale convective system (MCS), a synoptic system, or a tropical system, and then to classify the MCS and synoptic events into subclassifications based on their organizational structures. This analysis shows that 66% of all the events and 74% of the warm-season events are associated with MCSs; nearly all of the cool-season events are caused by storms with strong synoptic forcing. Similarly, nearly all of the extreme rain events in the northern part of the country are caused by MCSs; synoptic and tropical systems play a larger role in the South and East. MCS-related events are found to most commonly begin at around 1800 local standard time (LST), produce their peak rainfall between 2100 and 2300 LST, and dissipate or move out of the affected area by 0300 LST.

scholarly journals Regional Thermodynamic Characteristics Distinguishing Long- and Short-Duration Freezing Rain Events over North America

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 657-671
Author(s):  
Christopher D. McCray ◽  
John R. Gyakum ◽  
Eyad H. Atallah
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Short Duration ◽  
Thermodynamic Characteristics ◽  
The United States ◽  
Freezing Rain ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Cold Air ◽  
South Central ◽  
Surface Temperatures ◽  
Rain Events

Abstract Freezing rain is an especially hazardous winter weather phenomenon that remains particularly challenging to forecast. Here, we identify the salient thermodynamic characteristics distinguishing long-duration (six or more hours) freezing rain events from short-duration (2–4 h) events in three regions of the United States and Canada from 1979 to 2016. In the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada, strong surface cold-air advection is not common during freezing rain events. Colder onset temperatures at the surface and in the near-surface cold layer support longer-duration events there, allowing heating mechanisms (e.g., the release of latent heat of fusion when rain freezes at the surface) to act for longer periods before the surface reaches 0°C and precipitation transitions to rain. In the south-central United States, cold air at the surface is replenished via continuous cold-air advection, reducing the necessity of cold onset surface temperatures for event persistence. Instead, longer-duration events are associated with warmer and deeper >0°C warm layers aloft and stronger advection of warm and moist air into this layer, delaying its erosion via cooling mechanisms such as melting. Finally, in the southeastern United States, colder and especially drier onset conditions in the cold layer are associated with longer-duration events, with evaporative cooling crucial to maintaining the subfreezing surface temperatures necessary for freezing rain. Through an improved understanding of the regional conditions supporting freezing rain event persistence, we hope to provide useful information to forecasters in their attempt to predict these potentially damaging events.

Power-law behaviour of hourly precipitation intensity and dry spell duration over the United States

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Franzke ◽  
Lichao Yang ◽  
Zuntao Fu
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Poisson Process ◽  
Power Law ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
The United States ◽  
Distribution Model ◽  
Precipitation Event ◽  
Hourly Precipitation ◽  
Precipitation Events

<p>Precipitation is an important meteorological variable which is critical for weather risk assessment. For instance, intense but short precipitation events can lead to flash floods and landslides. Most statistical modelling studies assume that the occurrence of precipitation events is based on a Poisson process with exponentially distributed waiting times while precipitation intensities are typically described by a gamma distribution or a mixture of two exponential distributions. Here, we show by using hourly precipitation data over the United States that the waiting time between precipitation events is non-exponentially distributed and best described by a fractional Poisson process. A systematic model selection procedure reveals that the hourly precipitation intensities are best represented by a two-distribution model for about 90% of all stations. The two-distribution model consists of (a) a generalized Pareto distribution (GPD) model for bulk precipitation event sizes and (b) a power-law distribution for large and extreme events. Finally, we analyse regional climate model output to evaluate how the climate models represent the high-frequency temporal structure of U.S. precipitation. Our results reveal that these regional climate models fail to accurately reproduce the power-law behaviour of intensities and severely underestimate the long durations between events.</p>

scholarly journals The Role of Hazard and Vulnerability in Modulating Economic Damages of Inland Floods in the United States Using a Survey-Based Dataset

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (13) ◽  
pp. 3754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhou ◽  
Su ◽  
Leng ◽  
Peng
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Flash Flood ◽  
Unit Cost ◽  
Heavy Rain ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Vulnerability Indicators ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Economic Damages

This study investigates the trends in economic damages caused by three types of inland floods (flash flood, flood, and heavy rain) in the United States and the variations in related hazard and vulnerability indicators between 1996 and 2016. We explore the underlying mechanisms based on a survey-based dataset maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Weather Service. An annual average of 6518 flood occurrences was reported, which caused economic damages of 3351 million USD per year. Flash flood and flood contributed to 53% and 32% of total occurrences and was associated with a larger share of damaging events (SDE). Results show that the higher impacts by flood and flash flood on property and crop are partly attributed to the greater intensity of rainfall. In addition, flood has the highest unit cost of damages. Notably, despite an upward tendency in economic damages by flash floods, no evident change trend is observed for inland floods as a whole. Further analysis shows changes in economic damages by heavy rain and flash flood are mainly governed by the increased annual frequency and hazard intensity, but the change of trend in their vulnerability indicators (i.e., SDE and Damage Per Event (DPE)) is not obvious. Regarding floods, it was not possible to attribute the variations in economic losses to hazard and vulnerability, as no significant tendency is found except for an increasing SDE. Despite limitations of length of records, data collection, and methodology, the difference in economic impacts and the related hazard and vulnerability revealed in this study can help better target future adaptation and mitigation measures.

scholarly journals Composites of Heavy Rain Producing Elevated Thunderstorms in the Central United States

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurel P. McCoy ◽  
Patrick S. Market ◽  
Chad M. Gravelle ◽  
Charles E. Graves ◽  
Neil I. Fox ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Heavy Rainfall ◽  
Warm Season ◽  
Heavy Rain ◽  
The United States ◽  
Large Variability ◽  
Null Case ◽  
Central United States ◽  
Mean Fields ◽  
Event Occurrence

Composite analyses of the atmosphere over the central United States during elevated thunderstorms producing heavy rainfall are presented. Composites were created for five National Weather Service County Warning Areas (CWAs) in the region. Events studied occurred during the warm season (April–September) during 1979–2012. These CWAs encompass the region determined previously to experience the greatest frequency of elevated thunderstorms in the United States. Composited events produced rainfall of >50 mm 24 hr−1 within the selected CWA. Composites were generated for the 0–3 hr period prior to the heaviest rainfall, 6–9 hours prior to it, and 12–15 hours prior to it. This paper focuses on the Pleasant Hill, Missouri (EAX) composites, as all CWA results were similar; also these analyses focus on the period 0–3 hours prior to event occurrence. These findings corroborate the findings of previous authors. What is offered here that is unique is (1) a measure of the interquartile range within the composite mean fields, allowing for discrimination between variable fields that provided a strong reliable signal, from those that may appear strong but possess large variability, and (2) composite soundings of two subclasses of elevated thunderstorms. Also, a null case (one that fits the composite but failed to produce significant rainfall) is also examined for comparison.

scholarly journals Managing Grazing to Improve Climate Resilience

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Alvez ◽  
James Cropper ◽  
Lynn Knight ◽  
Ed Rayburn ◽  
Howard Skinner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Plant Stress ◽  
Heavy Rain ◽  
Northeastern United States ◽  
Nutrient Runoff ◽  
Climate Resilience ◽  
Summer Temperatures ◽  
Rain Events

Heavy rain events have increased dramatically in the Northeastern United States. These downpours are causing more soil erosion and nutrient runoff. Increasing summer temperatures may also amplify plant stress and limit productivity.

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