Convective precipitation over a Mediterranean area: From identification to trend analysis starting from high‐resolution rain gauges data

Abstract

Heavy rainfall events are likely to become more frequent and severe in the next future, under the effects of a changing climate. In this context, the scientific literature is characterized by a relevant number of studies trying to identify the convective component of precipitation, since this kind of phenomena, due to their short duration and high intensity, may lead to an increased risk of flash floods or debris flows and, consequently, human life losses and economic damages. In this study, a separation between the convective and stratiform precipitation, starting from the subhourly precipitation time series recorded over Sicily (Italy), is provided on a monthly scale. Results show that the percentage of con-

Investigating the Reliability of Stationary Design Rainfall in a Mediterranean Region under a Changing Climate

“…In order not to consider exceedances resulting from statistically dependent events of the aggregated data series, we imposed a criterion according to which two events of the aggregated data series are statistically independent if their interarrival time is at least 24 h. It is here noteworthy to highlight that such a condition might be too cautionary for 1 h duration events. Many papers, indeed, agree on the fact that short-duration and high-intensity rainfall events can be associated with convective precipitation [31][32][33], which dissipates very quickly. Therefore, it is likely that more convective cells may develop in the surroundings of the rain gauge within 24 h, forming independent events.…”