Mitigating Drought through Weather Modification: Selected Institutional and Meteorological Issues in Texas. Volume 3: Precipitation Climatology for the Edwards Plateau Region of Texas

摘要

A precipitation climatology of the Edwards Plateau region of Texas is presented and discussed. The area is characterized by maximum precipitation in May and September with minimum precipitation in winter and early spring. The spatial distribution of average annual precipitation shows an east-west bulge which is probably related to the abrupt rise in elevation along the Balcones Escarpment. Maps of mean monthly precipitation show evidence of topographic effects on several scales ranging from extremely localized to broad-scale features along the escarpment. During the warm season, rainfall occurs as scattered showers or thunderstorms characteristic of localized convection. Heavy precipitation in late summer and early fall is due to tropical activity moving west and north from the Gulf of Mexico.