Abstract
The present study aims to characterize the synoptic atmospheric circulations and precursors of the extreme rainfall events (ERE) over the South Indian Peninsula (SIP). The ERE is identified using a standardized precipitation index (SPI) from the daily TRMM 3B42 rainfall data. The composite maps of various diagnostic atmospheric variables are analyzed to understand the large-scale environmental conditions responsible for the ERE. During Indian Summer Monsoon, the presence of meridional lower troposphere dipole pressure gradient pattern might influence the ERE. The presence of anomalous low (high) over the SIP (northern Bay of Bengal) at the lower troposphere supports the occurrence of ERE. Most of the top ERE are associated with cyclonic circulation over the SIP during the post-monsoon. During the pre-monsoon, localized severe mesoscale convective events are responsible for the occurrence of ERE. In addition, the northward propagation of convection from the Indian Ocean and an upper-level atmosphere trough influence the occurrences of ERE. Further, the synoptic-scale circulations are investigated during the El Niño-Southern Oscillation and Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) phases. Findings suggest that during La Niña and the active phases of the MJO, enhancement of convection is evident. The Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model was employed to understand the remote moisture sources and pathways during ERE. Results confirm remote moisture sources for the top ERE across the seasons.
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The datasets generated during and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
NKV would like to acknowledge the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, for funding the research project (Grant Ref: ECR/2016/001896). Mr. P. C. Anandh would like to acknowledge the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, for the financial support to carry out his research work.
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The Department of Science and Technology, Government of India funded the research project (Grant Ref: ECR/2016/001896).
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PCA: methodology, writing—original draft, editing, visualization, formal analysis. NKV: conceptualization, supervision, formal analysis, writing-review.
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Anandh, P.C., Vissa, N.K. Role of synoptic-scale circulations, mechanisms, and precursors during extreme rainfall events over the Southern Indian Peninsula. Meteorol Atmos Phys 134, 27 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00703-022-00862-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00703-022-00862-0