Impacts of Long-Term Drought on Regional Precipitation-Frequency

Continuing drought in the western United States coupled with dwindling water supplies and a growing population makes understanding the role of drought and climate change in regional precipitation-frequency imperative. This research aims to do exactly that by answering the question, “What effect does long-term Meteorological drought and climate change have on regional precipitation-frequency, specifically how does it affect the regional precipitation-frequency of extreme events in the vicinity of Friant Dam in California?” A statistical regional frequency analysis based upon L-moments is used to answer the research question. To accomplish this, the precipitation gauge at Huntington Lake, CA is used to determine the wettest/driest 15% years from the gauge record. This led to three L-moments analyses (normal, wet, dry). It is anticipate that the comparison of these three different precipitation-frequencies will answer the research question posed above. As the specific cause of drought (normal climate variability vs climate change) is not explicitly defined in the research question, this study can be used in both contexts.