Quantifying Precipitation Efficiency and Drivers of Excessive Precipitation in Post-Landfall Hurricane Harvey

Abstract

AbstractHurricane Harvey produced unprecedented widespread rainfall amounts over 1000 mm in portions of southeast Texas, including Houston, from 26 to 31 August 2017. The highly efficient and prolonged warm rain processes associated with Harvey played a key role in the catastrophic flooding that occurred throughout the region. Precipitation efficiency (PE) is widely referred to in the scientific literature when discussing excessive precipitation events that lead to catastrophic flash flooding, but has yet to be explored or quantified in tropical cyclones coincident with polarimetric radar observations. With the introduction of dual-polarization radar to the NEXRAD WSR-88D network, polarimetric radar variables such as ZH, ZDR, and KDP can be used to gain insight into the precipitation processes that contribute to enhanced PE. It was found that 6-h mean values of ZH between 35 and 45 dBZ, ZDR between 1 and 1.5 dB, and KDP greater than 1° km−1 were collocated with the regions of PE greater than 100% between 27 and 29 August. Additionally, supercell thunderstorms embedded in the outer bands of Harvey were identified via 3–6 km Multi-Radar Multi-Senor (MRMS) rotation tracks and were collocated with swaths of enhanced positive ZH, ZDR, and KDP. A polarimetric rainfall relationship estimates that 1-h mean rainfall rates in these supercells were as high as 85 mm h−1 and made a significant contribution to the excessive precipitation event that occurred over the region.