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Abstract
This paper examines the synoptic climatology and seasonality of heavy rainfall across the southeastern United States. Frontal systems (particularly cold fronts) were found to be the dominant mechanism that induces heavy rainfall across the study area, but tropical disturbances and air-mass storms also contribute, especially at the more coastal locations. Annual regimes were found to vary dramatically from one site to another, and seven of the eight sites investigated exhibited statistically significant seasonality. Generally, peaks in heavy rainfall are bimodal in the western portion of the region, occurring in the transitional seasons. The central portion of the region peaks in late winter and spring, whereas the area east of the Appalachians (including Florida) has summer peaks. This spatial pattern is likely related to patterns of mid-tropospheric air flow and positions of the Bermuda High in summer, and the seasonality of cyclogenesis in North America. [Key words: synoptic climatology, seasonality, heavy rainfall, storms, southeastern United States.]
