On the Relationship between Diurnal Mesoscale Circulations and Precipitation in a Mountain Valley
- 1 December 1984
- journal article
- Published by American Meteorological Society in Journal of Climate and Applied Meteorology
- Vol. 23 (12) , 1635-1644
- https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0450(1984)023<1635:otrbdm>2.0.co;2
Abstract
Diurnal signatures of precipitation at mountain stations in Utah have been studied and precipitation events in the Salt Lake Valley compared with local wind circulations. Results of harmonic analyses of hourly precipitation data show small-amplitude diurnal cycles in winter and large-amplitude cycles in summer. Frequencies of diurnal precipitation events in summer were dependent on elevation, with maximum frequencies peaking around 1430 MST at elevations above 2100 m and nearly three hours later below 1500 m. High rainfall intensities exhibited the largest diurnal modulations with maximum amplitudes occurring in the higher terrain. These results were based on over 25 years of data and have important implications for flash flood forecasting and mesoscale modeling of precipitation in complex terrain. A detailed objective analysis of hourly resultant winds for a 45×75 km area with a 5 km grid showed the influence of mountain-valley winds on the diurnal variation of precipitation in the Salt Lake Val... Abstract Diurnal signatures of precipitation at mountain stations in Utah have been studied and precipitation events in the Salt Lake Valley compared with local wind circulations. Results of harmonic analyses of hourly precipitation data show small-amplitude diurnal cycles in winter and large-amplitude cycles in summer. Frequencies of diurnal precipitation events in summer were dependent on elevation, with maximum frequencies peaking around 1430 MST at elevations above 2100 m and nearly three hours later below 1500 m. High rainfall intensities exhibited the largest diurnal modulations with maximum amplitudes occurring in the higher terrain. These results were based on over 25 years of data and have important implications for flash flood forecasting and mesoscale modeling of precipitation in complex terrain. A detailed objective analysis of hourly resultant winds for a 45×75 km area with a 5 km grid showed the influence of mountain-valley winds on the diurnal variation of precipitation in the Salt Lake Val...Keywords
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