WRRCTR No. 78 Some Characteristics of Hawaiian High-Intensity Rainfall

Date
1974-08
Authors
Fullerton, Charles M.
Wilson, S.K.
Contributor
Advisor
Department
Instructor
Depositor
Speaker
Researcher
Consultant
Interviewer
Annotator
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Volume
Number/Issue
Starting Page
Ending Page
Alternative Title
Abstract
A computer monitored network of rapid response Raymond-Wilson rainfall intensity gauges has been established at the Cloud Physics Observatory (CPO), on the windward coast of the island of Hawaii, to record the passage of both warm and cold showers. These showers are characterized by high intensity rainfall (50 to 300 mm/hr) and an associated increase in atmospheric pressure, a change in wind velocity, and a reversal of the electric potential gradient. The showers often occur at night, during the maximum of the diurnal pressure oscillation, and frequently in groups of two to four with an interval of 10 3 to 10 4 seconds between separate showers. A relationship between the height of the base of the trade wind inversion and the total amount of rainfall was observed, indicating that almost no rainfall occurs if the inversion base is less than 2 km. A drop-size instrument (DSI) was developed and used to measure the raindrop-size spectrum. From this measurement and the rainfall intensity, an estimation of the liquid water content (LWC) of precipitating clouds was derived. The LWC (2.0 to 8.0 g/m3) was found to be larger than that generally assumed for trade wind showers.
Description
Keywords
Rain and rainfall -- Hawaii.
Citation
Fullerton CM, Wilson SK. 1974. Some characteristics of Hawaiian high-intensity rainfall. Honolulu (HI): Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa. WRRC technical report, 84.
Extent
vi + 47 pages
Format
Geographic Location
Time Period
Related To
Table of Contents
Rights
Rights Holder
Local Contexts
Email libraryada-l@lists.hawaii.edu if you need this content in ADA-compliant format.