Abstract
Using a novel but a proven strategy to detect Flash Droughts (FDs), we
identified four cases out of 30 (~13%) landfalling
Atlantic TCs over the period of 2000-2018 Atlantic hurricane seasons
that were associated with FD events in their wake. In all four instances
of these FD events, the principal causes were found to be the rapid
reduction in precipitation and warming of the surface temperature
despite the moderate to weak anomalously wet soil prevalent in the wake
of the landfalling TC. These FD cases assume significance because they
occurred in southeastern US, which is primarily energy limited for
evapotranspiration in the summer. Furthermore, all four cases of FD
occurred coincidentally with a more widespread, neighboring drought near
the landfall region, which suggests that these FD extend these
large-scale droughts from the exacerbated conditions in the wake of the
landfalling TC.