Basic Landfalling Tropical Cyclone Quantitative Precipitation Forecasting

Floods due to torrential rains associated with landfalling tropical cyclones have always been a big threat for loss of life. Recent research (Rappaport et al., 1999) has shown that since 1970 about 57% of the total deaths reported have been from floods due to torrential rains. This paper will present some operational forecasting considerations from an observational perspective, and will propose real-time suggestions for quantitative precipitation forecasting with landfalling tropical cyclones along the Florida and central Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States.