Development of a climatology of precipitation system organization in North Carolina to improve climate precipitation forecasts Grant uri icon

abstract

  • This unsolicited proposal was funded by the National Science Foundation's Physical and Dynamic Meteorology Program.

    Project Summary:
    Since no major rivers flow into the State of North Carolina, precipitation falling within the state is the primary natural source of water to replenish that region's rivers, soils, and groundwater reservoirs. Water management and sustainability in North Carolina are therefore inevitably linked to the horizontal and temporal variability of rainfall, an issue that is not yet well understood for that region.

    The premise of this study is that a climatology of precipitation system organization, duration and rainfall in North Carolina, using newly available high resolution precipitation and three-dimensional radar reflectivity mosaics, will improve our understanding of regional and seasonal hydrology in a variety of synoptic weather regimes. The organization, duration, and rainfall totals of precipitating systems can vary widely for a given time-averaged rain rate depending on the mode of delivery of rainfall. Examples of mode of delivery that occur in North Carolina include short duration and spatially heterogeneous isolated convective cells, large mesoscale convective systems, widespread long-lasting frontal precipitation, tropical cyclones, and winter precipitation. This demonstration project will integrate climate, hydrological, and societal aspects of water availability and management in North Carolina.

date/time interval

  • January 2014 - February 2014