A diagnostic study of extreme precipitation over Kerala during August 2018

K. Vijaya Kumari; Challa Venkata Srinivas; Ghouse Basha; Hari Prasad Dasari; Sabique Langodan; M. Venkat Ratnam; Ibrahim Hoteit

doi:10.1002/asl.941

A diagnostic study of extreme precipitation over Kerala during August 2018

K. Vijaya Kumari, Challa Venkata Srinivas, Ghouse Basha, Hari Prasad Dasari, Sabique Langodan, M. Venkat Ratnam, Ibrahim Hoteit

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Abstract

The state of Kerala, located on the west coast of India, experienced a record 100-year flood that resulted in major landslides from unprecedented prolonged and extremely heavy rainfall (50–480 mm·day−1) during August 1–19, 2018, causing extensive damage and about 500 causalities. Rainfall observations indicate that the heavy rainfall occurred over two spells (August 7–10 and 14–18) in association with an offshore trough, and a depression over the Bay of Bengal (BOB). High-resolution 38-year climatology data (5 km) and the ERA-Interim reanalysis dataset show a strong low-level jet over the Arabian Sea and a depression over the BOB with a southwestward tilt during the heavy rainfall. Very high-resolution (2-km) mesoscale model simulations suggest that this high convective instability due to the strong westerly jet along with the formation of offshore vortex, the transport of mid-tropospheric moisture under the presence of conducive vertical shear of horizontal wind, and transport of mid-tropospheric moisture from the BOB are the major factors (as shown in the schematic diagram) behind the extreme heavy rainfall over Kerala.

Original language	English (US)
Journal	Atmospheric Science Letters
Volume	20
Issue number	12
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/asl.941
State	Published - Nov 28 2019

Bibliographical note

KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01
Acknowledgements: The authors thank the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for providing access to the automatic weather, rain gauge station data, synoptic weather charts, Doppler weather radar products, and gridded rainfall estimates. The model simulations were carried out on the KAUST Supercomputing Facility. H.P.D. and S.L. acknowledge funding from Saudi ARAMCO. Authors gratefully acknowledge the anonymous reviewers for constructive the suggestions and comments to improve the quality of the paper.

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title = "A diagnostic study of extreme precipitation over Kerala during August 2018",

abstract = "The state of Kerala, located on the west coast of India, experienced a record 100-year flood that resulted in major landslides from unprecedented prolonged and extremely heavy rainfall (50–480 mm·day−1) during August 1–19, 2018, causing extensive damage and about 500 causalities. Rainfall observations indicate that the heavy rainfall occurred over two spells (August 7–10 and 14–18) in association with an offshore trough, and a depression over the Bay of Bengal (BOB). High-resolution 38-year climatology data (5 km) and the ERA-Interim reanalysis dataset show a strong low-level jet over the Arabian Sea and a depression over the BOB with a southwestward tilt during the heavy rainfall. Very high-resolution (2-km) mesoscale model simulations suggest that this high convective instability due to the strong westerly jet along with the formation of offshore vortex, the transport of mid-tropospheric moisture under the presence of conducive vertical shear of horizontal wind, and transport of mid-tropospheric moisture from the BOB are the major factors (as shown in the schematic diagram) behind the extreme heavy rainfall over Kerala.",

author = "{Vijaya Kumari}, K. and Srinivas, {Challa Venkata} and Ghouse Basha and Dasari, {Hari Prasad} and Sabique Langodan and {Venkat Ratnam}, M. and Ibrahim Hoteit",

note = "KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01 Acknowledgements: The authors thank the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for providing access to the automatic weather, rain gauge station data, synoptic weather charts, Doppler weather radar products, and gridded rainfall estimates. The model simulations were carried out on the KAUST Supercomputing Facility. H.P.D. and S.L. acknowledge funding from Saudi ARAMCO. Authors gratefully acknowledge the anonymous reviewers for constructive the suggestions and comments to improve the quality of the paper.",

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AU - Vijaya Kumari, K.

AU - Srinivas, Challa Venkata

AU - Basha, Ghouse

AU - Dasari, Hari Prasad

AU - Langodan, Sabique

AU - Venkat Ratnam, M.

AU - Hoteit, Ibrahim

N1 - KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01 Acknowledgements: The authors thank the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for providing access to the automatic weather, rain gauge station data, synoptic weather charts, Doppler weather radar products, and gridded rainfall estimates. The model simulations were carried out on the KAUST Supercomputing Facility. H.P.D. and S.L. acknowledge funding from Saudi ARAMCO. Authors gratefully acknowledge the anonymous reviewers for constructive the suggestions and comments to improve the quality of the paper.

PY - 2019/11/28

Y1 - 2019/11/28

N2 - The state of Kerala, located on the west coast of India, experienced a record 100-year flood that resulted in major landslides from unprecedented prolonged and extremely heavy rainfall (50–480 mm·day−1) during August 1–19, 2018, causing extensive damage and about 500 causalities. Rainfall observations indicate that the heavy rainfall occurred over two spells (August 7–10 and 14–18) in association with an offshore trough, and a depression over the Bay of Bengal (BOB). High-resolution 38-year climatology data (5 km) and the ERA-Interim reanalysis dataset show a strong low-level jet over the Arabian Sea and a depression over the BOB with a southwestward tilt during the heavy rainfall. Very high-resolution (2-km) mesoscale model simulations suggest that this high convective instability due to the strong westerly jet along with the formation of offshore vortex, the transport of mid-tropospheric moisture under the presence of conducive vertical shear of horizontal wind, and transport of mid-tropospheric moisture from the BOB are the major factors (as shown in the schematic diagram) behind the extreme heavy rainfall over Kerala.

AB - The state of Kerala, located on the west coast of India, experienced a record 100-year flood that resulted in major landslides from unprecedented prolonged and extremely heavy rainfall (50–480 mm·day−1) during August 1–19, 2018, causing extensive damage and about 500 causalities. Rainfall observations indicate that the heavy rainfall occurred over two spells (August 7–10 and 14–18) in association with an offshore trough, and a depression over the Bay of Bengal (BOB). High-resolution 38-year climatology data (5 km) and the ERA-Interim reanalysis dataset show a strong low-level jet over the Arabian Sea and a depression over the BOB with a southwestward tilt during the heavy rainfall. Very high-resolution (2-km) mesoscale model simulations suggest that this high convective instability due to the strong westerly jet along with the formation of offshore vortex, the transport of mid-tropospheric moisture under the presence of conducive vertical shear of horizontal wind, and transport of mid-tropospheric moisture from the BOB are the major factors (as shown in the schematic diagram) behind the extreme heavy rainfall over Kerala.

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UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/asl.941

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VL - 20

JO - Atmospheric Science Letters

JF - Atmospheric Science Letters

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ER -

A diagnostic study of extreme precipitation over Kerala during August 2018

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