Tag Archives: severe rainfall deficiency

Rainfall Deficiencies IV: 120-months Duration

Posted in Australian Climate, Climate Change, Manilla NSW, Rainfall from 1883 by

Log of severe and extreme rainfall deficiency of 120-month duration at Manilla This is the fourth of four graphs that show Manilla’s history of rainfall deficiencies (rainfall droughts), for periods of duration 3 months, 12 months, 36 months, and 120 months.

This fourth graph includes those periods of severe or extreme rainfall deficiency that last one-hundred-and-twenty months. They are rainfall droughts that affect about ten successive years.

(As I note below, in this series, a time of severe rainfall deficiency is one that is drier than the 5th percentile of cases, and a time of extreme rainfall deficiency is one that is drier than the 1st percentile of cases.)

In Manilla’s climate, a time of severe 120-month rainfall deficiency has a rainfall total less than 5860 mm, when it normally would be 6390 mm: that is, through the 10-year period, there is as an average a rainfall deficit of 53 mm each year. A time of extreme 120-month rainfall deficiency has a rainfall total less than 5670 mm: that is, through the 10-year period, there is as an average a rainfall deficit of 72 mm each year.

Even more than three-year droughts, these ten-year droughts have quite different effects to those that are shorter. The importance of severe and extreme rainfall deficiencies of 120-month duration is that even very large surface and sub-surface reservoirs may not be adequate to supply demand through to the end of the drought.

The graph shows that such ten-year droughts hardly occurred earlier than 1915 or later than 1955, but were confined to that 40-year interval. While deficiencies of this duration were twice as common as normal (5%) in the decades around 1920 and 1925, it was the decades around 1945 and 1950 that were extraordinary: 26% of all months had a severe rainfall deficiency of this duration.

Again, extreme 120-month droughts generally comprised about one-fifth of the total, as one might expect (unlike the case for one-year droughts).

Areas shown on the graph

Rainfall deficiencies are called “severe” when they are lower than are recorded for five percent of the months. I have called deficiencies “extreme” when they are lower than are recorded for one percent of the months. In this graph, I have coloured extreme deficiencies in blue. The maroon colour is deficiencies that are severe, but not extreme. The top edge of the maroon area marks the proportion of severe deficiencies including extreme deficiencies. As an average, this line is at five percent.

Data analysis

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Rainfall Deficiencies III: 36-months Duration

Posted in Australian Climate, Climate Change, Manilla NSW, Rainfall from 1883 by

Log of severe and extreme rainfall deficiency of 36-month duration at Manilla

This is the third of four graphs that show Manilla’s history of rainfall deficiencies (rainfall droughts), for periods of duration 3 months, 12 months, 36 months, and 120 months.

This third graph includes those periods of severe or extreme rainfall deficiency that last thirty-six months. They are rainfall droughts that affect about three successive years.
In Manilla’s climate, a time of severe 36-month rainfall deficiency has a rainfall total less than 1505 mm, when it normally would be 1940 mm. A time of extreme 36-month rainfall deficiency has a rainfall total less than 1380 mm.
Droughts of this duration have quite different effects to those that are much shorter.
While the 3-month drought that just qualifies as “severe” (by having rainfall in the fifth percentile) would have a rainfall total of 50 mm, in the similarly defined 36-month drought, each 3-month period within it would have, on average, a rainfall total of 125 mm (i.e. 1505*3/36). This 3-month rainfall total is only 25 mm less than the normal 150 mm total. It would scarcely be noticed if it did not persist for 36 months.
The importance of severe and extreme rainfall deficiencies of 36-month duration is that they use up the reserves that are held in surface and sub-surface water storage.

In the Manilla rainfall record, such three-year droughts were concentrated in just a few decades. They were very common around 1910-1915 and 1945 (in more than 12% of months) and in 1965 (in 9% of months). They were very rare or absent (less than 2% of months) before 1900, from 1925 to 1935, and in the entire forty years since 1975.
Extreme 36-month droughts generally comprised about one-fifth of the total, as one might expect (unlike the case for one-year droughts).

Areas shown on the graph

Rainfall deficiencies are called “severe” when they are lower than are recorded for five percent of the months. I have called deficiencies “extreme” when they are lower than are recorded for one percent of the months.
In this graph, I have coloured extreme deficiencies in blue. The maroon colour is deficiencies that are severe, but not extreme. The top edge of the maroon area marks the proportion of severe deficiencies including extreme deficiencies. As an average, this line is at five percent.

Data analysis

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Rainfall Deficiencies II: 12-months Duration

Posted in Australian Climate, Climate Change, Manilla NSW, Rainfall from 1883 by

Log of severe and extreme rainfall deficiency of 12-month duration at Manilla

This is the second of four graphs that show Manilla’s history of rainfall deficiencies (rainfall droughts), for periods of duration 3 months, 12 months, 36 months, and 120 months.

This second graph includes those periods of severe or extreme rainfall deficiency that last twelve months. They are rainfall droughts that affect four successive seasons, sometimes making for two failures a year apart.
In Manilla’s climate, a time of severe 12-month rainfall deficiency has a rainfall total less than 400 mm, when it normally would be 640 mm.
The graph shows that such one-year droughts were very common around 1945-1950 and 1965-1970 (in 8% of months) and also 1905 (in 7% of months). They were not common (only 2% of months) around 1885, 1890, and 1980. Recently, around 2015, there have been none at all.
Remarkably, extreme 12-month rainfall droughts (in blue) were almost as common as severe ones in the long period from 1940 to 1975.

Note added June 2015

I have analysed a remarkable and unexpected relation between days of heavy rainfall and the frequency of year-long droughts at Manilla (as graphed here) in a series of posts:
More droughts After Heavier Rains I.
More droughts After Heavier Rains II.
More droughts After Heavier Rains III.

Areas shown on the graph

Rainfall deficiencies are called “severe” when they are lower than are recorded for five percent of the months. I have called deficiencies “extreme” when they are lower than are recorded for one percent of the months.
In this graph, I have coloured extreme deficiencies in blue. The maroon colour is deficiencies that are severe, but not extreme. The top edge of the maroon area marks the proportion of severe deficiencies including extreme deficiencies. As an average, this line is at five percent.

Data analysis

Continue reading →

Rainfall Deficiencies I: 3-months Duration

Posted in Australian Climate, Climate Change, Manilla NSW, Rainfall from 1883 by

Log of severe and extreme rainfall deficiency of 3-month duration at Manilla

This is the first of four graphs that show Manilla’s history of rainfall deficiencies (rainfall droughts), for periods of duration 3 months, 12 months, 36 months, and 120 months.

This first graph includes those short periods of severe or extreme rainfall deficiency that last only three months. They are rainfall droughts for one season rather than for a year or more. Crops and pastures may fail.
In Manilla’s climate, a time of severe 3-month rainfall deficiency has a rainfall total less than 50 mm, when it normally would be 150 mm.
The graph shows that such short-term droughts have occurred in every decade, but more often in some than in others. These brief droughts were most common (in 7% of months) around 1915, 1920 and 1970. They were least common (in only 3% of months) around 1895, 1935, 1940, 1955, and (more recently) in the twenty years since 1995.
Extreme short-term droughts (3-month total less than 26 mm) were more common near those times when severe short-term droughts were more common.

Areas shown on the graph

Rainfall deficiencies are called “severe” when they are lower than are recorded for five percent of the months. I have called deficiencies “extreme” when they are lower than are recorded for one percent of the months.
In this graph, I have coloured extreme deficiencies in blue. The maroon colour is deficiencies that are severe, but not extreme. The top edge of the maroon area marks the proportion of severe deficiencies including extreme deficiencies. As an average, this line is at five percent.

Data analysis

Continue reading →