Abstract
In this paper the meteorological drivers of North American Monsoon (NAM)
extreme precipitation events (EPEs) are identified and analyzed. First,
the NAM area and its subregions are distinguished using self-organizing
maps (SOM) applied to the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) global
precipitation dataset. This delineation emphasizes the distinct extreme
precipitation character and drivers in each subregion, and we
subsequently argue these subregions are more suitable for regional
analysis given the inhomogeneous geographical features in the NAM area.
For each EPE, defined as daily precipitation exceeding the 95th
precipitation percentile, five synoptic features and one mesoscale
feature are investigated and assigned as potential drivers. Essentially
all EPEs can be associated with at least one selected driver, with only
one event remaining as unclassified. The attribution result demonstrates
the dominant role of Gulf of California moisture surges, followed by
mesoscale convective systems. Finally, a frequency and probability
analysis is conducted to contrast precipitation distributions
conditioned on the associated meteorological drivers. Interactions and
influences among candidate features are revealed by the precipitation
probability density functions.