Schumacher et al. (2026) Extreme Precipitation in the Contiguous United States in Gridded Analyses and a Convection-Permitting Model Simulation

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Hydrometeorology
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-06-19
• Authors: Russ S. Schumacher, Aaron J. Hill
• DOI: 10.1175/jhm-d-25-0212.1

Research Groups

National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), University of Colorado Boulder, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Short Summary

This study evaluates the representation of extreme precipitation in high-resolution, long-period-of-record precipitation datasets over the continental United States. The analysis focuses on the spatial and temporal distributions of extreme rainfall events and their ranking.

Objective

To assess the accuracy of high-resolution precipitation datasets in capturing extreme precipitation events over the contiguous United States.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Continental United States, with a focus on regional variations.
• Temporal Scale: Long-term records (2003-2023), with an emphasis on short-duration and fine-scale precipitation events.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: High-resolution, long-period-of-record precipitation datasets, including the CONUS404 hydroclimate reanalysis.
• Data sources: Gridded precipitation datasets, radar data, and gauge observations.

Main Results

The study finds that high-resolution precipitation datasets generally capture extreme precipitation events well but may underestimate their intensity. The ranking of the most extreme events varies depending on the dataset used.

Contributions

This study contributes to our understanding of the representation of extreme precipitation in high-resolution precipitation datasets and highlights the importance of using multiple datasets for accurate event ranking.

Funding

• National Science Foundation (NSF)
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Citation

@article{Schumacher2026Extreme,
  author = {Schumacher, Russ S. and Hill, Aaron J.},
  title = {Extreme Precipitation in the Contiguous United States in Gridded Analyses and a Convection-Permitting Model Simulation},
  journal = {Journal of Hydrometeorology},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1175/jhm-d-25-0212.1},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1175/jhm-d-25-0212.1}
}