Sara Wugofski- May 1- Weather and Climate

Name:     Sara Wugofski

Title:    Synoptic and Mesoscale Analysis of the 2015 Southern Great Plains Flash Pluvial

Location: 5600

Date:     2019/5/1

Time:     3:00 PM

Series:   Weather and Climate Systems

Abstract: During May and June of 2015, the Southern Great Plains (SGP) of the United States experienced numerous heavy rainfall and flooding events. The immense amount of rainfall (in excess of 60 cm) over a short period had tremendous impacts on the water resources of the region, marked the end of prolonged drought, and culminated into a flash pluvial. The goal of this study was to examine the traits and causes of the excessive precipitation over the SGP in May and June of 2015 including synoptic characteristics, the role of moisture transport, and the impact of Tropical Depression Bill. This was accomplished by statistically analyzing the daily precipitation with the most significant precipitation events of the flash pluvial selected for additional analysis. These cases were composited to quantify atmospheric patterns and moisture transport via Atmospheric River (AR) analysis and integrated vapor transport (IVT) to diagnose the source of moisture that led to the extreme precipitat

ion events. The key results included seeing an above normal number of synoptic wave events, with strong upper level low pressure systems present for the significant precipitation events. It was also found that the primary moisture source of all significant precipitation events was moisture transport from the Gulf of Mexico. These factors combined with the frequently linear storm mode and high precipitation efficiency led to record-breaking precipitation across the SGP.