Average February through May standardized rainfall anomalies
historical record 1849-1995
modern record: 1950-95:
Average February through May standardized rainfall anomalies
The Fortaleza (3.7S, 38.5W) and Quixeramobim (5.3S, 39.3W) records span 1849-1987 and 1896-1987, respectively. These time series are correlated at 0.80 (0.63) for all calendar months (February through May) for the period 1950-87. The time series are standardized using the climatology and monthly standard deviation for the years 1950-87. The standardized series are averaged and standardized again. This index is called the Fortaleza/Quixeramobim rainfall series (FQI).
FQI values beginning in 1988 are derived from the Xie and Arkin merged precipitation
product, which is derived from rain gauge measurements, 5 satellite
estimates, and model output. This data set is available for the
period 1979-95. The merged rainfall is used in the following manner.
The FQI is correlated with the merged rainfall in all calendar months
for the common period of record, 1979-87. Nine land gridpoints are
found with correlations >= 0.5 (image, PostScript file), and the average of the
merged rainfall over these 9 gridpoints is used as a proxy for the
FQI. The merged rainfall time series and the FQI are correlated at
0.66 (0.88) for all calendar months (February through May). The
merged rainfall time series is standardized to have the same
climatology and monthly standard deviation as the FQI during 1979-87.
The FQI (bars) and merged rainfall (blue line) series are shown
below.
ASCII files:
jan feb mar apr may jun jul aug sep oct nov dec
1849 -28 -24 -76 293 131 203 50 -16 -129 -101 -66 -57
1850 -81 -45 -191 -56 -71 -2 -32 -93 -61 -134 -94 -35
1851 -85 242 -69 70 123 -41 -23 -81 -142 -134 -38 20
1852 -41 22 9 -56 17 8 -96 -93 -142 -101 -72 20
1853 -135 -125 -6 54 -26 29 -58 18 -35 -11 -21 -18
1854 -129 7 -162 78 139 302 -52 -85 -115 -112 -83 -57
1855 -149 -104 94 223 -152 -126 -82 -93 -129 -44 -72 31
1856 14 140 -1 242 -104 -104 -74 -54 -41 180 73 43
1857 -72 69 -47 150 94 125 -74 -93 -75 -101 -83 -58
1858 -135 -31 -201 28 172 -54 -63 232 328 -22 184 80
1859 -88 41 -56 -90 38 125 -41 14 -61 -22 -88 -63
1860 -101 92 -27 19 110 10 56 22 -82 34 -94 21
1861 305 -66 -106 46 -99 -58 -104 -54 -75 -112 -33 206
1862 -53 84 62 -80 51 -17 -101 -12 -122 -56 40 -58
1863 -107 18 -112 99 -15 151 -48 -28 -75 -101 29 -38
1864 -103 39 -116 40 -73 -87 -26 -12 -122 -89 -60 -56
1865 -88 -61 -170 -69 56 79 -26 37 261 866 -27 -57
1866 -122 -41 245 248 352 141 -63 -93 -102 259 45 -43
1867 -135 -95 -50 -120 -50 -6 -96 -35 -95 -157 -83 -53
1868 106 -22 -69 -12 -97 3 -66 79 26 191 -77 -24
1869 -78 130 24 -99 102 -87 -41 14 -142 68 -83 -56
1870 -11 -21 127 68 38 -45 -108 -93 -108 338 -72 -9
1871 -107 -117 -3 -22 -20 -62 234 18 86 169 -83 143
1872 53 181 184 -96 87 146 81 41 194 -33 -88 42
1873 270 77 81 83 47 33 -111 -93 -129 -146 440 8
1874 -103 55 30 -82 7 97 -38 18 -35 -11 -21 -18
1875 -149 -8 51 40 101 -59 -30 -93 -82 -134 424 1
1876 -62 -34 76 -25 181 -54 -32 -66 -122 135 29 -62
1877 -116 -130 -173 -225 -102 -55 -46 83 -8 -157 -49 -63
1878 -96 -81 -164 -208 -29 -144 -71 -93 -142 -134 -94 -63
1879 -61 -106 -108 -187 -91 -119 -111 -35 -68 169 -10 -49
1880 -129 -121 -92 262 53 -31 78 14 59 -33 -38 -11
1881 -127 -60 -100 69 58 31 153 83 -115 -157 -94 -44
1882 -5 -120 -113 -4 35 67 72 -43 -75 -157 -94 -45
1883 144 8 51 175 -101 -87 -111 -93 -115 -123 -83 -63
1884 -106 -126 22 0 -42 -101 -101 3 -61 45 73 -49
1885 -149 -91 -113 222 -12 -57 9 -81 187 90 -60 -44
1886 71 -74 150 -36 -5 -80 -99 7 -102 -101 -27 -51
1887 39 -87 93 110 -78 -96 -107 -20 -135 -123 -94 -63
1888 -72 -64 -152 -101 -126 -25 -32 -28 -142 -123 -94 -50
1889 -96 -61 -75 -207 -50 -9 -111 -66 -41 23 -94 -27
1890 -38 -37 130 6 80 -118 -20 -58 -61 -56 -77 -16
1891 -35 -107 -121 -10 80 -90 -66 49 -102 -112 34 -63
1892 -135 -61 -169 94 -79 -17 -58 -12 19 34 -72 188
1893 264 34 -33 -106 -22 -82 -92 -51 -21 23 -60 66
1894 305 89 69 399 4 146 -74 -81 -102 23 273 -38
1895 -118 -20 212 116 225 145 278 152 80 180 257 -50
1896 -51 -50 182 121 94 -63 20 240 206 -46 -26 -66
1897 -21 56 38 17 146 76 58 65 0 -2 4 -67
1898 -121 -20 -162 -71 -28 -99 -102 -81 -77 -102 -64 76
1899 -9 222 197 70 -112 59 88 430 -60 -64 -54 -63
1900 -34 -53 -192 -214 -11 -78 -51 -39 -87 -107 -71 395
1901 -87 48 58 -66 -43 -38 14 -73 91 218 -17 -65
1902 -31 -99 -122 -94 -58 -102 -35 30 -63 -7 -54 -55
1903 72 -58 -106 -156 -141 -92 -78 -85 -57 -107 -54 -59
1904 -93 -60 5 -136 -65 -57 5 224 -3 -51 -70 -61
1905 -81 -72 82 -120 -104 -84 -92 -35 155 44 -62 -61
1906 -116 65 -36 -1 128 -41 -82 -53 -87 -68 -57 -65
1907 -75 -10 -147 -122 -137 -74 -46 75 -61 102 -49 -58
1908 -77 -74 -109 -102 -126 -85 -33 -6 -57 160 -40 -62
1909 -73 24 -184 100 -146 -119 -105 -74 -100 -119 -19 54
1910 91 50 127 42 180 -77 -74 -88 -94 -17 -5 240
1911 155 -56 47 -138 -101 -110 11 110 -47 -40 -71 18
1912 84 200 105 51 60 44 -74 31 36 -85 -65 -68
1913 -36 229 32 -3 21 6 -45 18 7 -14 -36 59
1914 133 -8 -75 2 3 46 3 495 -63 173 -47 -66
1915 -107 -58 -190 -132 -153 -105 -104 -71 -90 -119 -57 62
1916 -7 -52 65 -26 -37 78 -103 -80 -80 -119 -1 203
1917 490 49 102 51 130 -14 -64 -48 -22 -114 129 124
1918 3 -7 -88 -110 36 -11 -26 243 58 -119 -35 -30
1919 29 -97 -172 -173 -142 -81 -28 34 86 -91 -37 -67
1920 -117 -87 95 83 66 -20 33 -73 82 196 10 86
1921 19 233 50 20 169 -43 143 -77 44 -69 277 -46
1922 -82 -94 25 217 120 27 209 62 -3 -107 158 -38
1923 -73 110 -47 6 -102 -36 -3 -75 -57 -81 -48 -64
1924 -31 72 209 90 51 115 -74 42 -1 90 -15 32
1925 89 11 18 14 -57 -95 -76 -54 13 -43 -3 -55
1926 -37 49 76 49 -7 -56 -75 -88 -100 26 -28 -66
1927 -64 -27 -31 121 -41 -66 -24 -85 -77 -69 -20 -33
1928 -34 -94 50 -54 -72 -62 -96 -83 -36 74 -49 -55
1929 -75 82 -57 -52 23 -39 -34 -82 -53 65 -35 5
1930 12 -64 -100 -25 -154 -9 -45 -72 -87 59 -61 -33
1931 -3 31 -50 -61 -126 -67 -73 -37 22 5 -60 -23
1932 -7 -5 -138 -149 -149 -57 -68 -20 176 -57 -65 -51
1933 19 -49 -60 38 -122 -112 -72 -71 -74 -22 -1 -37
1934 70 85 264 -12 113 -25 -103 -59 33 -91 96 83
1935 57 88 -29 80 -44 0 -43 -43 10 -38 -47 -44
1936 -93 33 -12 -153 117 31 -38 -79 -50 -79 -54 -55
1937 -128 21 -138 -29 68 28 5 -4 94 12 -37 -55
1938 -11 -90 141 103 -60 5 -76 -47 -47 -57 50 -47
1939 -81 155 60 -42 -11 -46 -13 -67 280 453 122 -65
1940 -18 -24 22 69 89 41 -46 34 17 5 -63 -47
1941 -120 -19 -42 -63 -120 -78 -6 0 -94 -92 -51 -53
1942 -101 -64 -103 -106 -117 -101 -95 -20 -100 58 -47 102
1943 -83 -61 -64 -60 -80 -74 -38 171 226 -113 -14 -23
1944 -23 -83 38 32 -63 -73 -33 -55 -86 -80 -67 48
1945 79 106 -100 13 92 39 77 -33 -52 -54 -4 -16
1946 169 69 -60 39 -104 -38 -90 -71 -55 737 -64 99
1947 -38 0 109 32 21 -74 -65 -84 47 -72 333 118
1948 -97 -92 78 -45 4 44 -34 -23 16 26 -62 -65
1949 -109 -38 34 5 192 41 -79 83 40 -96 83 -67
1950 -29 -48 68 53 -14 -116 -73 -46 -47 -46 -9 -57
1951 -111 -105 -203 -33 -104 84 -74 -89 -100 -104 146 68
1952 -63 -65 90 23 -33 -105 -84 -44 -84 -9 -61 -23
1953 -84 -85 -127 17 -79 -38 -96 -42 -6 -35 -63 -61
1954 -66 -18 -86 -115 -39 -54 -94 -68 -88 -98 -48 -65
1955 10 -54 -80 25 10 -96 -83 -34 -4 130 -27 -7
1956 -92 6 -29 -86 -137 -97 -45 151 -63 -65 -54 -57
1957 -7 -106 66 93 -83 -105 -72 -37 10 4 -65 -45
1958 -107 -104 -189 -180 -21 -64 -9 -54 -35 -96 -55 -55
1959 86 -16 16 -78 4 -45 -99 -38 -42 -48 -44 -50
1960 -122 -111 133 -12 -39 -70 -47 -73 -71 20 -63 -45
1961 69 135 -6 3 48 -82 40 -88 -47 -91 -46 -28
1962 -69 -52 11 -24 -44 -38 -31 -31 14 -78 -24 127
1963 87 61 181 116 -117 -63 -92 -69 -80 -106 65 142
1964 275 160 103 134 114 -20 45 93 192 -26 -58 -59
1965 33 -122 -78 111 51 261 -43 -36 -54 -17 -64 -56
1966 -106 -17 -88 4 28 8 100 -59 49 -107 -1 -17
1967 -94 137 60 60 169 -6 45 -23 10 -19 -61 -26
1968 235 -66 -24 -63 52 -91 20 85 -78 145 -38 -36
1969 30 -80 134 5 106 43 167 7 -35 -7 -67 -67
1970 45 -66 -40 68 -145 -72 -72 -22 -87 -51 83 -39
1971 85 -1 -31 -61 113 108 194 14 -1 50 -31 -48
1972 -69 -75 -109 -84 -29 46 -21 463 -84 -74 -60 151
1973 -8 349 -2 119 57 87 282 7 120 253 9 -51
1974 235 30 53 134 291 45 -35 -10 257 309 19 40
1975 30 -35 39 -26 63 161 172 -27 -4 3 -35 48
1976 -85 66 -3 -8 -49 -83 -77 -49 -29 34 14 -53
1977 98 -34 -19 -3 72 301 144 -20 -77 5 40 31
1978 -66 96 -117 -80 107 -20 135 -52 104 168 365 -38
1979 -74 -58 -89 -133 26 -29 -75 14 123 -64 114 -64
1980 28 200 26 -144 -150 14 -60 -27 -23 -119 -33 -36
1981 -2 -58 290 -158 -130 -98 -103 -77 -100 -119 -57 460
1982 -17 -37 -98 -40 -20 -62 -56 69 -33 126 340 -47
1983 -113 15 -80 -170 -133 -80 -70 -57 -181 15 -71 -31
1984 -11 -21 23 155 146 111 77 78 40 112 -66 -58
1985 146 123 78 204 -16 39 166 63 46 -12 -33 194
1986 -18 95 94 200 81 116 -39 200 356 45 106 -6
1987 -78 -36 33 -27 -155 109 -37 -73 -48 -31 -68 -36
1988 29 -32 38 121 54 88 216 70 7 55 122 239
1989 5 -101 -36 135 198 64 298 221 138 110 156 618
1990 -79 -18 -201 -43 30 -8 107 189 224 77 0 -46
1991 11 -64 29 -37 99 3 -1 124 -100 2 -35 -161
1992 62 11 -77 -88 -105 12 14 -19 111 -80 -65 -100
1993 -75 -90 -186 -121 -56 -48 32 -42 -56 100 4 -45
1994 57 -13 -40 -17 80 294 87 13 151 -51 -89 69
1995 -77 -7 -105 69 146 65 85 -91 -123 -61 194 -54