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Ten‐year climatology of summertime diurnal rainfall rate over the conterminous U.S.
Author(s) -
Matsui Toshihisa,
Mocko David,
Lee MyongIn,
Tao WeiKuo,
Suarez Max J.,
Pielke Roger A.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2010gl044139
Subject(s) - diurnal cycle , environmental science , dryness , climatology , diurnal temperature variation , atmospheric sciences , convective available potential energy , rain gauge , planetary boundary layer , convection , meteorology , geology , precipitation , geography , medicine , surgery , turbulence
Diurnal cycles of summertime rainfall rates are examined over the conterminous United States, using radar‐gauge assimilated hourly rainfall data. As in earlier studies, rainfall diurnal composites show a well‐defined region of rainfall propagation over the Great Plains and an afternoon maximum area over the south and eastern portion of the United States. Using Hovmöller diagrams, zonal phase speeds of diurnal composite rainfall are estimated in three different small domains, and are evaluated with background meteorological conditions. These rainfall propagation speeds are better linked to the convective available potential energy than to the boundary‐layer dryness.