Precipitation Distribution and Kinematic Structure of Hurricane Hugo Over the Carolinas
Abstract
An investigation of the precipitation distribution and kinematic structure of Hurricane Hugo over land was conducted for a 19-hour period beginning with landfall of associated precipitation. Surface kinematics and thermodynamics, NWS radar reflectivity observations, and hourly precipitation data (HPD) were compared to investigate the nature of the precipitation systems associated with Hugo. Surface data over Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia from the NWS, AWS, and FAA stations was supplemented by power plant data. A stationary band complex (SBC), observed to the left of Hugo's track, was the predominate feature of radar imagery. This feature resulted in a storm-total rainfall maximum to the left of Hugo's track. Heavy amounts of hourly rainfall (> 20 mm) occurred within the SBC from 0500 UTC until 1000 UTC, and an equivalent potential temperature minima is associated with the SBC after landfall of Hugo. A regression equation was constructed to investigate the hourly precipitation for select land stations. The results indicate that over 37% of the variability in the HPD was accounted for when precipitation was occurring during Hugo. The distance to the eyewall contributed significantly to the variability of precipitation over land, in this case. It was found that terrain slope, surface wind speed, surface wind direction, and surface wind convergence were generally uncorrelated to hourly precipitation. However, when the data set was separated into geographic regions, terrain slope increased in importance from the coast to the mountains while wind speed decreased in importance.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1991
- Accession Number
- ADA249726
Entities
People
- James E. Hammett Jr
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology