In this study we performed a synoptic classification of a sea level pressure (SLP) sequence field and 500 hPa geopotencial heights associated with occurrence of intense precipitation in the city of Rio de Janeiro - RJ. The rotated "Principal Component Analysis" (PCA) was used in order to find the basic patterns of SLP sequence and 500 hPa geopotential heights. The outcomes show three dominant types of synoptic patterns that have caused intense rainfall events in the city of Rio de Janeiro along the period from 1997 to 2010, which explain approximately 56% of the total variance of the cases. The main pattern shows cold front passages of with predominantly zonal trajectory. The second pattern is related to the entry of classical cold fronts, accompanied by intense postfrontal anticyclones. At last, it was observed a pattern related to the positioning of an anticyclone to the East of Rio Grande do Sul State, producing winds from the south quadrant over the city of Rio de Janeiro.
synoptic classification; extreme events; principal components
