Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Precipitation Intensity as Observed by the NAME Event Rain Gauge Network from 2002 to 2004

Abstract Detailed information on the spatial and temporal characteristics of precipitation intensity from the mountainous region of northwest Mexico has, until recently, been lacking. As part of the 2004 North American Monsoon Experiment (NAME) enhanced observing period (EOP) surface rain gauge networks along with weather radar and orbiting satellites were employed to observe precipitation in a manner heretofore unprecedented for this semiarid region. The NAME Event Rain gauge Network (NERN), which has been in operation since 2002, contributed to this effort. Building on previous work, this paper presents analyses on the spatial and temporal characteristics of precipitation intensity as observed by NERN gauges. Analyses from the 2004 EOP are compared with the 2002–04 period and with long-term gauge observations. It was found that total precipitation from July to August of 2004 was similar in spatial extent and magnitude to the long-term average, though substantially wetter than 2003. Statistical analyses ...

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