How Does the Diurnal Cycle Affect Tropical Cyclone Precipitation Structure after Landfall?

It is well understood that the diurnal cycle of clouds and convection in the tropics is stronger over land than water. But does that mean the diurnal cycle of tropical cyclone (TC) clouds and convection strengthens after landfall? Previous research has primarily focused on TCs over the ocean, finding a peak in rainfall in the early morning in all basins. Additional work has found that smaller, less intense TCs over the ocean are associated with a stronger diurnal cycle and a small, semi-diurnal cycle of rainfall. Over land, recent work suggests no difference in the diurnal cycle of rainfall when compared to the ocean. However, research has yet to be done on how the diurnal cycle affects the structure of TC precipitation after landfall. Hence, this study will focus on the effects of the diurnal cycle on North Atlantic TC precipitation structure for those cases that make landfall in the United States using 23 years of radar data from the Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) system. Initial findings show that there are no notable diurnal changes in TC structure.