Spatiotemporal Climatology of Georgia Tropical Cyclones and Associated Rainfall
Tropical cyclones (TCs), often characterized by high wind speeds and heavy rainfall, cause widespread devastation, affecting millions of people and leading to economic losses worldwide. TC-specific research in Georgia is scarce, likely due to the minimal geographical extent of its coast and the infr...
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MDPI AG
2024-09-01
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| Series: | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/12/10/1693 |
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| author | Reilly Corkran Jill Trepanier Vincent Brown |
| author_facet | Reilly Corkran Jill Trepanier Vincent Brown |
| author_sort | Reilly Corkran |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Tropical cyclones (TCs), often characterized by high wind speeds and heavy rainfall, cause widespread devastation, affecting millions of people and leading to economic losses worldwide. TC-specific research in Georgia is scarce, likely due to the minimal geographical extent of its coast and the infrequency of direct landfalls. Research on Georgia TCs does not account for storms that make landfall in other southeastern states (e.g., Florida) and continue north, northeast, or northwest into Georgia. This study used the North Atlantic Basin hurricane database (HURDAT2) to quantify the spatiotemporal patterns of direct and indirect landfalling of Georgia tropical cyclones (>16 ms<sup>−1</sup>) from 1851 to 2021. TC-induced rainfall was also quantified using rainfall data (nClimGrid-Daily and nClimGrid) from 1951 to 2021 to estimate the proportion of Georgia’s total annual and monthly rainfall attributed to TCs. A multi-methodological approach, incorporating statistics and mapping, is employed to assess the trends of Georgia’s tropical cyclones and the associated rainfall. The study analyzed 113 TCs and found that, on average, less than one TC annually (<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mover accent="true"><mi mathvariant="normal">x</mi><mo>¯</mo></mover></semantics></math></inline-formula> = 0.66) traverses the state. September averaged the highest percentage (25%) of TC-induced rainfall, followed by October (14%), and August (13%). This pattern aligns with the TC season, with the highest frequency of TCs occurring in September (n = 35), followed by August (n = 25), and October (n = 18). We found that 10% of tropical storms make landfall on the coastline, while the remaining 91% enter Georgia by making landfall in Florida (92%), Louisiana (7%), or South Carolina (1%) first. A threat of TCs during the peak of the season emphasizes the importance of heightened awareness, increased planning practices, and resource allocation during these periods to protect Georgia’s history and natural beauty, and its residents. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2077-1312 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-adfce91c93c447adacaf939cd85cf45f2025-08-20T02:11:11ZengMDPI AGJournal of Marine Science and Engineering2077-13122024-09-011210169310.3390/jmse12101693Spatiotemporal Climatology of Georgia Tropical Cyclones and Associated RainfallReilly Corkran0Jill Trepanier1Vincent Brown2Department of Geography and Anthropology, Louisiana State University, 227 Howe-Russell Geoscience Complex, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USADepartment of Geography and Anthropology, Louisiana State University, 227 Howe-Russell Geoscience Complex, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USADepartment of Geography and Anthropology, Louisiana State University, 227 Howe-Russell Geoscience Complex, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USATropical cyclones (TCs), often characterized by high wind speeds and heavy rainfall, cause widespread devastation, affecting millions of people and leading to economic losses worldwide. TC-specific research in Georgia is scarce, likely due to the minimal geographical extent of its coast and the infrequency of direct landfalls. Research on Georgia TCs does not account for storms that make landfall in other southeastern states (e.g., Florida) and continue north, northeast, or northwest into Georgia. This study used the North Atlantic Basin hurricane database (HURDAT2) to quantify the spatiotemporal patterns of direct and indirect landfalling of Georgia tropical cyclones (>16 ms<sup>−1</sup>) from 1851 to 2021. TC-induced rainfall was also quantified using rainfall data (nClimGrid-Daily and nClimGrid) from 1951 to 2021 to estimate the proportion of Georgia’s total annual and monthly rainfall attributed to TCs. A multi-methodological approach, incorporating statistics and mapping, is employed to assess the trends of Georgia’s tropical cyclones and the associated rainfall. The study analyzed 113 TCs and found that, on average, less than one TC annually (<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mover accent="true"><mi mathvariant="normal">x</mi><mo>¯</mo></mover></semantics></math></inline-formula> = 0.66) traverses the state. September averaged the highest percentage (25%) of TC-induced rainfall, followed by October (14%), and August (13%). This pattern aligns with the TC season, with the highest frequency of TCs occurring in September (n = 35), followed by August (n = 25), and October (n = 18). We found that 10% of tropical storms make landfall on the coastline, while the remaining 91% enter Georgia by making landfall in Florida (92%), Louisiana (7%), or South Carolina (1%) first. A threat of TCs during the peak of the season emphasizes the importance of heightened awareness, increased planning practices, and resource allocation during these periods to protect Georgia’s history and natural beauty, and its residents.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/12/10/1693tropical cyclonesGeorgiaprecipitation |
| spellingShingle | Reilly Corkran Jill Trepanier Vincent Brown Spatiotemporal Climatology of Georgia Tropical Cyclones and Associated Rainfall Journal of Marine Science and Engineering tropical cyclones Georgia precipitation |
| title | Spatiotemporal Climatology of Georgia Tropical Cyclones and Associated Rainfall |
| title_full | Spatiotemporal Climatology of Georgia Tropical Cyclones and Associated Rainfall |
| title_fullStr | Spatiotemporal Climatology of Georgia Tropical Cyclones and Associated Rainfall |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spatiotemporal Climatology of Georgia Tropical Cyclones and Associated Rainfall |
| title_short | Spatiotemporal Climatology of Georgia Tropical Cyclones and Associated Rainfall |
| title_sort | spatiotemporal climatology of georgia tropical cyclones and associated rainfall |
| topic | tropical cyclones Georgia precipitation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/12/10/1693 |
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