Abstract
A back-trajectory clustering method was developed to identify synoptic patterns associated with heavy precipitation in Austria. Extending this work from daily precipitation sums to accumulation intervals from 12 to 48 hours, an unexpected problem was encountered related to the observation schedule of data. To modify available data to our specific needs, evening precipitation falling between 19 and 21 LT (Local Time) was studied. Hourly precipitation data for the period of 1950 to 2005 from 132 weather stations over Austria were used. It was found that the evening precipitation fraction has its maxima in the central Alps in all seasons, except in autumn when maxima shift more towards the south of the Alps. These results encouraged us to analyse the variation of diurnal precipitation for different seasons in Austria as well. A total of 119 stations with sixteen years (1990–2005) of data were used for this purpose. Mean hourly precipitation values were calculated, which were then normalised, smoothed and were finally clustered to find regions with homogeneous diurnal cycles. The diurnal cycles of precipitation of the centres exhibit systematic patterns and seasonal cycles, reflecting intensity and timing of convective activity over these regions. The winter season is relatively dry and summer is associated with the highest precipitation. The areas inside the Alps receive higher amplitudes of precipitation in summer. Interesting features such as bimodal distributions, nocturnal maxima and early morning maxima were also observed in many regions.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Eckhardt S, Prata JA, Seibert P, Stebel K, Stohl A (2008) Estimation of the vertical profile of sulfur dioxide injection into the atmosphere by a volcanic eruption using satellite column measurements and inverse transport modeling. Atmos Chem Phys 8:3881–3897
Hohenegger C, Walser A, Langhans W, Schär C (2008) Cloud-resolving ensemble simulations of the August 2005 Alpine flood. Q J R Meteorol Soc 134:889–904. doi:10.1002/qj.252
Seibert P, Frank A, Formayer H (2007) Synoptic and regional patterns of heavy precipitation in Austria. Theoret Appl Climatol 87(1–4):139–153. doi:10.1007/s00704-006-0198-8
Svensson C, Jakob D (2002) Diurnal and seasonal characteristics of precipitation at an upland site in Scotland. Int J Climatol 22:587–598. doi:10.1002/joc.674
Svensson C, Jakob D, D RW (2002) Diurnal characteristics of heavy precipitation according to weather type at an upland site in Scotland. Int J Climatol 22:569–585. doi:10.1002/joc.672
Tian B, Held I M, Lau NC, Soden JB (2005) Diurnal cycle of summertime deep convection over North America: a satellite perspective. J Geophys Res 110:D08,108. doi:10.1029/2004JD005275
Trenberth KE, Dai A, Rasmussen MR, Parsons BD (2003) The changing character of precipitation. Bulletin of American Meteorological Society 84:1205–1217. doi:10.1175/BAMS-84-9-1205
Twardosz R (2007) Seasonal characteristics of diurnal precipitation variation in Krakow (South Poland). Int J Climatol 27:957–968. doi:10.1002/joc.1439
Vergeiner I, Dreiseitl E (1987) Valley winds and slope winds—observations and elementary thoughts. Meteorol Atmos Phys 36:264–286. doi:10.1007/BF01045154
Whiteman DC (2000) Mountain meteorology: fundamentals and applications. Oxford University Press, USA
Wilks SD (2006) Statistical methods in the atmospheric sciences, 2nd edition. Academic Press
Zhang JG (2003) Roles of tropospheric and boundary layer forcing in the diurnal cycle of convection in the US southern great plains. Geophys Res Lett 30:2281. doi:10.1029/2003GL018554
Acknowledgements
This work is supported by the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Global Change Research Programme, and through a scholarship of the first author by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. Meteorological data were kindly made available by the Austrian Meteorological Service ZAMG. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments on this paper.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yaqub, A., Seibert, P. & Formayer, H. Diurnal precipitation cycle in Austria. Theor Appl Climatol 103, 109–118 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-010-0281-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-010-0281-z