The NOAA IR serves as an archival repository of NOAA-published products including scientific findings, journal articles, guidelines, recommendations, or other information authored or co-authored by NOAA or funded partners.
As a repository, the NOAA IR retains documents in their original published format to ensure public access to scientific information.
i
Statistical aspects of the precipitation regimes at Miami International Airport (MIA) and Palm Beach International Airport (PBI): 1961-1990.
-
1994
[PDF-35.95 MB]
Details:
-
Personal Author:
-
Corporate Authors:
-
NOAA Program & Office:
-
Description:Low-frequency components of the time series of mean annual precipitation for 1961-1990 at Miami International Airport (MIA) and Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) are closely in phase. The data show a decadal-scale variation with relatively high precipitation in the 1960s and 1980s and relatively low precipitation in the 1970s. This fluctuation is concomitant with a statistically significant decadal-scale fluctuation in tropical weather system frequency. MIA precipitation is systematically related to tropical weather system frequency on monthly and seasonal time scales but not so precisely that one can conclude a cause and effect relationship exists. Spectral analysis showed well marked peaks in the MIA and PBI spectra (computed from annual precipitation totals) at a period of 15 years. Both stations also showed considerable spectral intensity at a period of 10 years. Cospectral calculations indicated that the covariance of the MIA and PBI annual precipitation totals was primarily the result of fluctuations with periods of 10 years or more. The annual numbers of cloudy days (NCLD), thunderstorm days (NTWS), days with measurable precipitation (NP.01), and the precipitation total for the rainiest day of the year (P24X) at MIA were correlated with those from PBI. Positive correlations (significant at either the 95% or 99% level) were obtained in all four cases. The time series of annual values of NCLD showed statistically significant negative trends at both stations. In contrast, the annual values of NP.01 showed positive trends at these stations. Thus, the number of days with measurable rain at these stations increased over these 30 years while the number of cloudy days decreased. The time series of annual rainfall totals at both stations, when smoothed with five-year running means, showed maxima in the decade of the 1960s. Analyses of year-month cross sections showed that these maxima were the result of anomalously high rainfall in June and September-October during the later half of that decade.
-
Keywords:
-
Series:
-
Document Type:
-
Place as Subject:
-
License:
-
Rights Information:CC0 Public Domain
-
Compliance:Library
-
Main Document Checksum:
-
Download URL:
-
File Type:
