A study on precipitation characteristics of Kal Baishakhi: a premonsoon thunderstorm event

Kal Baishaki, a heavy thunderstorm event, recurs yearly during the premonsoon period (March-May) over the Indo-Gangetic plain and northeastern part of India. The event is highlighted by vigorous thunderstorm activity often associated with lightning and heavy to very heavy precipitation. Though the event has significant health and economic impact, the precipitation characteristics are not clearly understood. This is mainly due to a lack of continuous observation across a vast area covering West Bengal, Jharkhand, Orissa, Bihar, Assam, and other northeastern states of India. Precipitation measuring instruments onboard the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite, followed by the Global Precipitation Measurement Mission, have provided an unprecedented data set that provides rainfall estimates at a high spatial, but sparsely temporal scale. The accuracy of data products has been refined over the years by comparing them with measurements from ground stations worldwide. The present work aims to consider rainfall data measured between 2001 and 2020 using remotely sensed instruments to analyse the precipitation characteristics of the significant rain event using a time series analysis approach.