A climatological investigation of the diurnal patterns of precipitation over the complex terrain of western Colorado

Hourly precipitation patterns for several locations in the highly complex terrain of western Colorado will be analyzed for diurnal biases during various periods of record. As a benchmark, the Grand Junction record will provide the most reliable precipitation database, with specific analysis of the data from 1948 to the present. To gain a regional perspective, the precipitation patterns for numerous locations across western Colorado will be included in a comparative study during the same period of record. A climatological review of diurnal precipitation patterns comparing the high elevation versus low elevation sites will be discussed. This study will also discern differences based on actual quantitative precipitation amounts. To examine more significant events, comparisons between events greater than 0.10 inches and 0.25 inches will be utilized. Finally, both seasonal and climatological biases will be taken into account, which will address monsoonal and ENSO implications.