Understanding the wet season variations over Florida

The wet season of Florida is well defined and is invariably centered in the boreal summer season of June–July–August. In this observational study we objectively define the Length of the Wet Season (LOWS) for Florida and examine its variations with respect to El Niño and the Southern Oscillation (ENS...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Climate dynamics 2013-03, Vol.40 (5-6), p.1361-1372
Main Authors: Misra, Vasubandhu, DiNapoli, S. M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
America
Atmospheric circulation
Bgi / Prodig
Climate cycles
Climatology
Climatology. Bioclimatology. Climate change
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Earth, ocean, space
El Nino
Environmental aspects
Exact sciences and technology
External geophysics
Geophysics/Geodesy
Hurricanes
Marine
Meteorology
Observational studies
Oceanography
Rainy season
Seasons
South Atlantic
Southern Oscillation
Summer
United States of America
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Summary:The wet season of Florida is well defined and is invariably centered in the boreal summer season of June–July–August. In this observational study we objectively define the Length of the Wet Season (LOWS) for Florida and examine its variations with respect to El Niño and the Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Atlantic Warm Pool (AWP). Our study reveals that ENSO variability has a profound influence on the LOWS especially over south Florida and parts of panhandle Florida prior to 1976. In the post-1976 era the influence of ENSO has significantly diminished. Our results show that in this pre-1976 era, warm (cold) ENSO events in the boreal winter are followed by long (short) LOWS over the region. This variation is consistent with warm (cold) ENSO events influencing early (late) onset of the wet season in the region. There is significant relationship of the LOWS in south and northeast Florida with the variation of the AWP. Unlike the teleconnection with ENSO the relationship of the demise of the wet season with AWP is stronger in the post-1976 period compared to the pre-1976 period. Furthermore the variability of the LOWS has increased in the post-1976 period.
ISSN:0930-7575
1432-0894
DOI:10.1007/s00382-012-1382-4