A Preliminary Exploration of Human Environmental Perception: Observed Rainfall Rates

Research into human perception covers a vast number of domains (i.e., those that are visual, auditory gustatory, or tactile in nature). Work at the intersection of perception and meteorology has previously investigated the ability of people to estimate wind speed, and also the relationship between storm experience, perception of flooding, and the ability to evaluate and estimate the risk posed by flooding. However, no previous work has examined the ways in which people observationally perceive rainfall. This information could be highly beneficial to weather forecasters in more effectively communicating rainfall-related threats. Thus, using a mixed-methods (quantitative + qualitative) approach, we examined, for the first time, the environmental cues people use to assess rainfall rates. We will discuss our methodology, present preliminary results, and discuss implications for operational forecasting procedures.