MAXIMUM NUMBER OF CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITH PRECIPITATION OVER BULGARIA AND THE CORRESPONDING SYNOPTIC SITUATIONS.

Daily precipitation data measured in 38 meteorological stations during all months of the year in the period (1960 - 2009) are sorted looking for consecutive days with precipitation. The used 38 points are approximately uniformly located on the territory of the country (19 in North Bulgaria and 19 in South Bulgaria) and represent in fact the basic (synoptic) stations in the meteorological network of the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology. Fifteen cases of extreme number of consecutive days with precipitation (>15 days) are revealed on the territory of the country during the examined 50-years period. These cases represent exceptionally rare events with a great return period and form a relatively small but obtained through a sort of an enormous volume of data sample that is a good basis for an interesting and significant analysis of the examined rare phenomenon. The obtained results concerning the distribution of the revealed extreme cases over territory, during the years, by seasons and months, and according to the precipitation type amount are summarized in the paper together with the common features of the corresponding synoptic situations. The proposed investigation is a part of a greater research aiming to reveal the spatial - temporary regime of the number of consecutive days with precipitation over Bulgaria and the corresponding typical synoptic situations together with the eventual climatic variations of this regime and their relation to the drought events in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]