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Surface radar-derived convective rainfall associations with Midwest US land surface conditions in summer seasons 1999 and 2000

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Abstract

Previous research has suggested that spatial heterogeneities in soil moisture and/or vegetation cover promote the development of convective clouds. We examine the intensity of convective precipitation for the Midwest US Corn Belt in the summers of 1999 and 2000, which had contrasting synoptic circulation, atmospheric humidity, and soil moisture conditions. For days when synoptic scale atmospheric forcing is weak, we calculate a convective severity index (CSI) based on radar reflectivity composite values. Our results suggest that boundaries between soil types, and cropland and forest vegetation types in the western portion of the Corn Belt, enhance the development of convective precipitation. In the eastern part of the Corn Belt, less convection occurs, but we find a positive correlation between the intensity of convection and soil moisture conditions. Our results also demonstrate that the CSI is a simple yet effective technique for identifying where deep convection occurs relative to lighter precipitation.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation ATM 98-76753. The first author thanks Andy Sherwood for his assistance in writing the computer scripts utilized for this project. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments that improved this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, University of Florida, 3141 Turlington Hall, P.O. Box 117315, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Corene J. Matyas

  2. Department of Geography, and Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    Andrew M. Carleton

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  1. Corene J. Matyas
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  2. Andrew M. Carleton
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Correspondence to Corene J. Matyas.

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Matyas, C.J., Carleton, A.M. Surface radar-derived convective rainfall associations with Midwest US land surface conditions in summer seasons 1999 and 2000. Theor Appl Climatol 99, 315–330 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-009-0144-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-009-0144-7

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