Precipitation dependence on synoptic-scale conditions and cloud seeding

Abstract

Precipitation over South Florida, as indicated by radar, was analyzed in order to determine its dependence on synoptic-scale conditions and cloud seeding. The synoptic-scale parameters which are used arc the prevailing flow, the humidity, the stability and the vertical wind shear. We found th at the variation of synoptic-scale conditions is, by far, much more important than multiple cloud seeding in determining precipitation. This finding indicates that cloud seeding experiments in Florida which do not take into account the effect of the varying synoptic conditions, can lead to misleading conclusions.