Moisture transport associated with multi-day precipitation events in India

Variations in precipitation characteristics have an impact not only on human society but also on the natural environment. In addition, precipitation events may have detrimental effects on human health and cause severe socioeconomic losses, as well as, in the worst situation, the loss of human life. Therefore, it becomes essential to characterize extreme events and understand the atmospheric dynamics driving them. In this study, we ranked multi-day precipitation events using 63 years (1959 to 2021) of daily precipitation data. The ranking was done based on the intensity as well as the spatial extent of the event. Further, we used integrated vapor transport (IVT) to quantify moisture transport during identified top-ranked precipitation events. Our preliminary analysis showed that the IVT variability is significant during these events, indicating substantial moisture accumulation before these events. Indeed, quantifying the connection of extreme to moisture movement might help in the early prediction of extreme events and lower the associated risks.