Extreme Precipitation Events: A Comprehensive Catalog for Northern Chile (17.5° S to 30.0° S)

Abstract. This study presents a comprehensive catalog of the extreme seasonal rainfall events of northern Chile between 1979 and 2019. We analyzed its meteorological patterns across three latitudinal bands (17.5° S–23.5° S, 23.5° S–27° S, and 27° S–30° S) using daily precipitation and mean daily temperature from the CR2METv2.5 product, and vertically integrated water vapor transport (IVT) data from ERA5 reanalysis. These events were classified into three main precipitation categories: Stratiform, Coastal, and Andes Mountain. The Andes Mountain category was further subdivided into five subcategories based on IVT patterns and precipitation location: north Andes, south Andes, along Andes, Convergence, and Westerly IVT. The catalog includes meteorological descriptors for each seasonal extreme event, such as: date, precipitation category, maximum precipitation within the latitudinal band, average storm temperature, and average snowline elevation determined using empirical method and MODIS remote sensing imagery. Additionally, we included the IVT and spatial snowcover derived from MODIS images for each event. To test the applicability of this catalog, we characterized extreme events composite results for the Austral summer between 27° S–30° S (latitudinal band 3). Additionally, we contrasted our catalog to existing landslide inventory and estimated approximate debris flow volumes for the March 2015 Atacama event. These findings can enhance the understanding of extreme precipitation events in arid and semiarid zones in Chile and provide a valuable resource for storyline analysis and precipitation pattern identification.

The catalog can be accessed through the Zenodo platform at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14342936.