Heavy Rain Rate Characteristics over Sriharikota.

Sriharikota being a coastal station in Peninsular India, it encounters tropical maritime climate. Heavy rain rates occur due to passage of thunderstorms, upper air troughs, active monsoon phase, tropical low-pressure systems and severe cyclones that form in Bay of Bengal. Prediction and study of heavy rainfall rates are essential for launch missions like PSLV, GSLV and pre-launch day-to-day activities at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota (SDSC SHAR). Any rainfall amount for 24 hours of 70 mm or more is considered as heavy rainfall day. Heavy rainfall events recorded over Sriharikota are characterized for 30 years (1975–2004). There were total 111 heavy rainfall days over Sriharikota during the above period and their frequency is high in October, November and December and maximum of 29 events are observed in November. During Southwest monsoon season (June–September) these heavy rainfall events are reported due to thunderstorms and in November due to active phase of Northeast monsoon and low-pressure systems. There are 3 to 5 events during Southwest monsoon season due to thunderstorms in 30 years. Maximum rainfall recorded in 24 hours is 292.0 mm on 14th June 1996 and maximum seven heavy rainfall events per year are noticed in 1984 & 1997. © 2007 American Institute of Physics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]