Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #133256
Title: ESTIMATING PARAMETERS FOR CHARACTERIZING TIMES BETWEEN STORMS

Author
item Bonta, James - Jim
item JOHNSON, GREG - USDA-NRCS

Submitted to: Thirteenth Conference on Applied Climatology AMS Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/13/2002
Publication Date: 5/13/2002
Citation: Bonta, J.V., Johnson, G. Estimating parameters for characterizing times between storms. Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Applied Climatology, American Meteorological Society, Portland, Oregon. May 13-16, 2002. p. 134-138.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Characterization and estimation of times between storms are needed for stochastic storm simulation, drought studies, etc. An exploratory investigation into practical estimation of two characterization parameters was conducted using regression equations - critical duration (CD, minimum dry time between storms) and average time between storms (TBS). Relationships between CD and average monthly precipitation (P), TBS and P, and CD and TBS were explored. CD vs P yielded poor relationships, TBS vs P yielded good relationships, and CD vs TBS yielded fair relationships. Regression parameters were correlated leading to a reduction of data required for estimating CD and TBS over a 225000 km2 area covering parts of CO, WY, NE, and KS. Practical estimation methods for CD and TBS were documented, and further investigations were recommended. The results are useful to university, Federal, and State researchers and practitioners, and consultants, and for parameterizing a storm-generation model under development, for drought studies, etc.