Climatology of hailstorms in colombia

Abstract

468 hailstorms were identified in different Colombian regions, on the basis of historical data collected from newspapers, archives, and specialized databases. An analysis was carried out of the behavior of different variables (instability indexes, wind, relative humidity, zero-degree (0 °c) isotherm, and precipitation) through hourly simulations generated by the Weather & Research Forecasting (wrf) model for each hailstorm event, establishing the thresholds in which these hailstorms occurred in order to obtain elements to estimate hailstorm probability. Data was adjusted according to orography, slope, altitude above sea level, and wind direction, and series of probable hailstorms were generated for a 10x10 km grid, which were then validated with those registered. These series made it possible to establish spatial patterns and the annual cycle of hailstorms in order to construct the climatology of this phenomenon in Colombia. Results show that the zones with the greatest probability of hailstorms are found in mountainous regions (western, central, and eastern branches of the Andes) and in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, and especially in the departments of Antioquia, Caldas, Quindío, Valle del Cauca, Cauca, Norte de Santander, Santander, Cundinamarca, and Boyacá.