Climatological Characteristics of Mesoscale Convective Systems in Northeast Brazil

Abstract

The meteorological characteristics of a given region are of great importance in the maintenance of human activities, as they affect society both positively and negatively. Thus, the objective of the study was to analyze the main characteristics of Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCSs) in Northeast Brazil (NEB). Using the ForTraCC, an algorithm for tracking convective clusters, the following characteristics were analyzed: life cycle, spatial distribution, period of highest frequency and size. The results show that an average of 321 (±137) MCSs occur annually in the NEB. The month of march is the one with the highest frequency in the occurrence of MCSs, while august is the lowest. The four-month period February, March, April and May (FMAM) is the period when more MCSs occur. In the NEB, MCSs form with a higher frequency during the day, having an average duration time of 7 h (±5 h) and reaching the stage of maturity after 3 or 4 hours of their genesis. At the maturity stage, the average size is 50.020 km² (±86.453 km²). The density of genesis of MCSs in the NEB is greater over the continent than over the Tropical Atlantic Ocean and occurs unevenly in the territory.

Keywords
mesoscale convective system; ForTraCC; Northeast of Brazil