Dynamically downscaled 15-minute U.S. West Coast precipitation (Part 1/3)

High-intensity, short-duration rainfall can trigger deadly and destructive debris flows in steep and severely burned terrain. Although we can identify rainfall thresholds to delineate the conditions for which postfire debris flows typically initiate, the spatial and temporal resolution of climate models has hampered our ability to characterize future trends in hazard potential. Here, we use novel dynamically downscaled, convection-permitting simulations of 15-minute rainfall to evaluate rainfall threshold exceedance for late 21st-century climate scenarios in the American Southwest. We observe significant increases in the frequency and magnitude of exceedance across the Southwest, including regions dominated by cool- and warm-season rainfall. We also observe greater increases in the frequency of exceedance in some regions where communities are less accustomed to contending with postfire debris flows, compared to areas where the hazard is well known. Our findings support proactive measure..., This is one of three datasets related to the same study:

Part 1 (this dataset) contains 15-minute rainfall over the historical period (1990–2005), https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.n2z34tn3c

Part 2 contains 15-minute rainfall over the late-century period (2085–2100) following the RCP4.5 emissions scenario, https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.4qrfj6qgn

Part 3 contains 15-minute rainfall over the late-century period (2085–2100) following the RCP8.5 emissions scenario, https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.nvx0k6dzm

, , # Dynamically downscaled 15-minute U.S. West Coast precipitation (Part 1/3)

A novel, high-resolution, dynamically downscaled dataset that will help inform regional and local stakeholders regarding potential impacts of climate change at the scales necessary to examine extreme mesoscale conditions. We used WRF-ARW version 4.1.2 in a convection-permitting configuration (horizontal grid spacing of 3.75 km; 51 vertical levels; data output interval of 15-min) as a regional climate model for a domain covering the contiguous US Initial and lateral boundary forcing for the regional climate model originates from a global climate model simulation by NCAR (Community Earth System Model) that participated in phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project. Herein, we use a version of these data that are regridded and bias corrected. Three 15-year downscaled simulation epochs were examined comprising of historical (HIST; 1990–2005) and potential future (FUTR; 2085–2100) climate using Represent...