Comparison of rainfall structures between NCEP/NCAR reanalyses and observed data over tropical Africa

 A comparison is made between modelled (NCEP/NCAR reanalysis) and observed (CRC and CRU dataset) annual and monthly precipitation over tropical Africa during the period 1958–1997. The split moving-windows dissimilarity analysis (SMWDA) is used to locate abrupt changes in rainfall time series. In the NCEP reanalysis data, we identify a main abrupt shift, which occurs in 1967 and concerns more than 50% of grid points. In the observation, this shift is only found over parts of tropical North Africa. Three other NCEP abrupt shifts (1975, 1983 and 1987) in the reanalysis shown by the SMWDA, each concerning about 20% of tropical Africa, are not identified in the observation. One hypothesis concerning the 1967 marked abrupt shift is a problem of data assimilation in the NCEP/NCAR model which generated artificial shifts in the time series. In view of this result, further comparisons have been restricted to the period 1968–1997. On a continental scale, while the CRC and NCEP mean seasonal rainfall patterns are almost the same, however, some regional features are not well reproduced. Using five regional rainfall indexes, the mean seasonal rainfall cycle is correctly reproduced, but the NCEP reanalysis generally underestimates the amounts during the rainy season. The NCEP reanalysis rainfall is closer to the observation when the region shows a single rainy season. The correlation values between NCEP and CRC interannual rainfall variations over the period 1968–1997 are very low and seldom significant. The NCEP four main structures of rainfall variability as deducted from rotated principal component analysis are not realistic at all and the associated time series are systematically dominated by a marked low-frequency variability not present in the observation. However, the main teleconnections between ENSO and African rainfall variations are fairly well reproduced, with a correct location of the main structures, but with lower correlation values than those found in the observation. Received: 22 September 1999 / Accepted: 10 May 2000     

欧亚季节环流气候平均态和气候变率：20CR再分析资料在欧亚及中国东部地区的评估

本文评估了美国国家大气海洋局（NOAA）新发布的20世纪再分析资料（20CR）对欧亚季节环流气候平均态和气候变率及中国东部气温降水的刻画能力。结果表明:20CR再分析资料对欧亚地区四季环流气候平均态刻画能力与NCEP2资料的相比,均呈现北部中高纬度系统性偏高,南部中低纬度系统性偏低的特点,导致描绘的东亚冬季风偏弱,夏季风偏强。这可能与20CR资料在极地海岸地区海冰资料处理时产生的差错有关。与中国东部的站点资料对比则显示20CR对我国东部气温的刻画偏低,而对降水的刻画偏高,站点相关性气温好于降水,东南沿海地区优于内陆地区。平均场和空间相关场结合来看,秋季气温和降水20CR与站点观测资料吻合最好。20CR资料较好地刻画近百年北半球冬夏季的气候指数（北极涛动、北大西洋涛动、北太平洋涛动、东亚冬季风、阿留申低压等）的年际变率及年代际变化特征,很好地刻画了阿留申低压1970年代末的年代际增强,西伯利亚高压1970年代末的下降和1990年后的上升趋势及北太平洋涛动、北大西洋涛动和北极涛动指数1970年代末期由负位相到正位相的年代际转变。     

Parallel comparison of the northern winter stratospheric circulation in reanalysis and in CMIP5 models

A parallel comparison is made of the circulation climatology and the leading oscillation mode of the northern winter stratosphere among six reanalysis products and 24 CMIP5(Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5) models. The results reveal that the NCEP/NCAR, NECP/DOE, ERA40, ERA-Interim and JRA25 reanalyses are quite consistent in describing the climatology and annual cycle of the stratospheric circulation. The 20 CR reanalysis, however, exhibits a remarkable"cold pole" bias accompanied by a much stronger stratospheric polar jet, similar as in some CMIP5 models. Compared to the1–2 month seasonal drift in most coupled general circulation models(GCMs), the seasonal cycle of the stratospheric zonal wind in most earth system models(ESMs) agrees very well with reanalysis. Similar to the climatology, the amplitude of Polar Vortex Oscillation(PVO) events also varies among CMIP5 models. The PVO amplitude in most GCMs is relatively weaker than in reanalysis, while that in most of the ESMs is more realistic. In relation to the "cold pole" bias and the weaker oscillation in some CMIP5 GCMs, the frequency of PVO events is significantly underestimated by CMIP5 GCMs; while in most ESMs, it is comparable to that in reanalysis. The PVO events in reanalysis(except in 20CR) mainly occur from mid-winter to early spring(January–March); but in some of the CMIP5 models, a 1–2 month delay exists, especially in most of the CMIP5 GCMs. The long-term trend of the PVO time series does not correspond to long-term changes in the frequency of PVO events in most of the CMIP5 models.     

20CR再分析资料在东亚夏季风区的质量评估

本文利用NCEP1和ERA40再分析资料, 并结合观测资料, 对最新公布的一套再分析资料——20CR再分析资料在东亚夏季风区的质量进行了综合评估。本文主要是从气候态、年际变率、年代际变化三个方面, 来评估20CR再分析资料在东亚夏季风区的质量。结果表明, 在气候平均态上, 20CR再分析资料基本合理再现了东亚夏季风区的高低层环流场(包括南亚高压、副热带西风急流、近地层风场)以及经向环流圈特征。但相较于NCEP1和ERA40, 20CR所刻画的南亚高压偏强, 西风急流偏北, 对流层中上层温度系统性偏高。在年际变率方面, 除了NCEP1在1967年之前存在偏差, 使其结果和ERA40、20CR不同之外, 三套再分析资料刻画的东亚夏季风变率在其它时段高度一致。三套资料在以纬向风为基础的东亚夏季风指数上的一致性, 高于以经向风为基础的东亚夏季风指数, 其中以低层纬向风为基础的东亚夏季风指数的一致性最高。20CR再分析资料可以较好地再现与东亚夏季风相联系的地表气温和降水年际变化特征, 其刻画的地表气温正相关中心位置偏西、强度最强, 且在河套平原地区有一个弱的负相关中心, 而其描述的降水在孟加拉湾和长江流域较之另外两套再分析资料更接近观测结果, 在热带地区和海上却反之。在年代际变化方面, 20CR再分析资料未能合理再现东亚夏季风年代际减弱的现象, 这也体现在不能合理再现青藏高原下游年代际变冷和“南涝北旱”降水型上, 这主要是因为20CR再分析资料所刻画的东亚地区对流层中上层年代际变冷信号偏弱所致。而在百年时间尺度上, 20CR再分析资料所刻画的东亚夏季风变化与观测较为一致;20CR再分析资料可以合理再现出东亚夏季风区1920年代前的显著冷期和1990年代之后的迅速增暖期, 但对1920～1950年代相对暖期和1950～1980年代相对冷期的再现能力较差。     

Separation of the impact of climate change and human activity on streamflow in the upper and middle reaches of the Taoer River,northeastern China

The Taoer River, a representative ecologically sensitive area in Northeast China, has undergone great climate changes and rapid social developments since 1961. Subsequently, a substantial alteration of the streamflow regime was observed and severe eco-environmental problems were becoming prominent. To provide decision makers the scientific basis for effective resource management and sound future planning, it is crucial to understand and assess the impacts of the climate variability and human activities on streamflow in this region. In this study, we combined an observation-based statistical analysis and physical modeling experiments to address this broad question. The Mann–Kendall and Sen’s slope were used to examine the trends and the moving t test was used to identify change points for the streamflow, precipitation, and potential evapotranspiration datasets. A statistically significant upward trend (α?=?5 %) was found for annual streamflow. An abrupt change point was identified in 1985 for the basin outlet station at Taonan. Accordingly, the streamflow was divided into baseline and changed period for attribution analysis. To investigate the impacts of climate change and human activities on annual streamflow, we applied a distributed hydrological model and six Budyko-type functions during the two periods. The results indicated that climate change and human activities accounted for about 45 and 55 % of the changes in streamflow, respectively.     

The influence of atmospheric circulation on the intensity of urban heat island and urban cold island in Poznań, Poland

The study has analyzed influence of an atmospheric circulation on urban heat island (UHI) and urban cold island (UCI) in Poznań. Analysis was conducted on the basis of temperature data from two measurement points situated in the city center and in the ?awica airport (reference station) and the data concerning the air circulation (Nied?wied?’s calendar of circulation types and reanalysis of National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)). The cases with UHI constitute about 85 % of all data, and UCI phenomena appear with a frequency of 14 % a year. The intensity of UHI phenomenon is higher in the anticyclonic circulation types. During the year in anticyclonic circulation, intensity of UHI is 1.2 °C on average while in cyclonic is only 0.8 °C. The occurring of UHI phenomena is possible throughout all seasons of the year in all hours of the day usually in anticyclonic circulation types. The cases with highest UHI intensity are related mostly to nighttime. The cases of UCI phenomena occurred almost ever on the daytime and the most frequently in colder part of the year together with cyclonic circulation. Study based on reanalysis data indicates that days with large intensity of UHI (above 4, 5, and 6 °C) are related to anticyclonic circulation. Anticyclonic circulation is also promoting the formation of the strongest UCI. Results based on both reanalysis and the atmospheric circulation data (Nied?wied?’s circulation type) confirm that cases with the strongest UHI and UCI during the same day occur in strong high-pressure system with the center situated above Poland or central Europe.     

Comment on “Trends and low frequency variability of extra-tropical cyclone activity in the ensemble of twentieth century reanalysis” by Xiaolan L. Wang,Y. Feng,G. P. Compo,V. R. Swail,F. W. Zwiers,R. J. Allan,and P. D. Sardeshmukh,Climate Dynamics, 2012

The main subject of this article is to comment on the issue of storminess trends derived from the twentieth century reanalysis (20CR) and from observations in the North Atlantic region written about in Wang et al. (Clim Dyn 40(11–12):2775–2800, 2012). The statement that the 20CR estimates would be consistent with storminess derived from pressure-based proxies does not hold for the time prior to 1950.     

Examination of the global lorenz energy cycle using MERRA and NCEP-reanalysis 2

In this study, the global Lorenz atmospheric energy cycle is evaluated using the Modern Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) and the National Center for Environmental Prediction and the Department of Energy (NCEP R2) reanalysis datasets over a 30-year period (1979–2008) for the annual, JJA, and DJF means. The energy cycle calculated from the two reanalysis datasets is largely consistent, but the energy cycle determined using the MERRA dataset is more active than that determined from the NCEP R2 dataset. For instance, with regard to the annual mean, the general discrepancy between the energy components in the global integral is about 5 %, whereas the discrepancy between the conversion components is about 16  %, with the exception of C(P_M, K_M), which has a different sign in the global integrals. The latitude-altitude cross-section indicates that the difference in the energy cycle of the two reanalysis datasets is larger in the southern hemisphere than in the northern hemisphere. The conversion rates of mean available potential energy to mean kinetic energy [C(P_M, K_M)] and eddy available potential energy to eddy kinetic energy [C(P_E, K_E)] are also calculated using two formulations (so-called ‘v·grad z’ and ‘ω·α’) for the two reanalysis datasets. The differences in the conversion rate between the two reanalysis datasets for the global integral are not appreciable for the two formulations.     

Sea level history of the northern Gulf of Mexico coast and sea level rise scenarios for the near future

The sea level history of the northern Gulf of Mexico during recent geologic time has closely followed global eustatic sea level change. Regional effects due to tectonics and glacio-isostasy have been minimal. Over the past several million years the northern Gulf coast, like most stable coastal regions of the globe, has experienced major swings of sea level below and above present level, accompanied by major shifts in shoreline position. During advances of the northern hemisphere ice sheets, sea level dropped by more than 100 m, extending the shoreline in places more than 100 km onto the shelf. For much of the period since the last glacial maximum (LGM), 20,000 years ago, the region has seen rates of sea level rise far in excess of those experienced during the period represented by long-term tide gauges. The regional tide gauge record reveals that sea level has been rising at about 2 mm/year for the past century, while the average rate of rise since the LGM has been 6 mm/year, with some periods of abrupt rise exceeding 40 mm/year. During times of abrupt rise, Gulf of Mexico shorelines were drowned in place and overstepped. The relative stability of modern coastal systems is due primarily to stabilization of sea level approximately 6,000 years ago, resulting in the slow rates of rise experienced during historic time. Recent model projections of sea level rise over the next century and beyond may move northern Gulf coastal environments into a new equilibrium regime, more similar to that experienced during the deglaciation than that which has existed during historic time.     

Peculiarities of the Approach to Calculation of Wind Waves in the Caspian Sea

A high-precision digital elevation model of the Caspian Sea with the spatial resolution of 0.001° x 0.001° is constructed and used as a basis for computation grids of various scales. A three-level scheme for calculating wind waves with the sequence of nested grids (Caspian Sea-Northern Caspian, Absheron Peninsula, Turkmenbashy city-the Northern Caspian key areas) is developed. A scenario designer is implemented which considers in calculations the ice edge position and the coastline dynamics. The SWAN spectral wave model is adapted to the Caspian Sea conditions. The series of calculations and the comparison of the obtained results with observational data are provided. It is found that the best result is obtained when corrected reanalysis data are used for calculations.     

Spatial and temporal analysis of climate change in Hispañola

Climate change in Hispañola is studied since 1900 using a variety of datasets. The longer station-observed temperature record has a significant trend of 0.012 °C/year, while the shorter reanalysis datasets exhibit faster warming, suggesting accelerating greenhouse radiative absorption and Hadley circulation. Rainfall trends are insignificant in the observed period, but a CMIP5 model simulation predicts a significant drying trend. The spatial pattern of climate trends was mapped with reanalysis fields and indicates a faster rate of warming over the eastern half of the island, where observations are dense and the drying trend is greatest. Northeasterly trade winds strengthen on the Atlantic side of the island. While trends intensify in the satellite era compared to the earlier 20th century, part of that effect is ascribed to an upturn in the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation.     

Effect of data homogenization on estimate of temperature trend: a case of Huairou station in Beijing Municipality

Daily minimum temperature (Tmin) and maximum temperature (Tmax) data of Huairou station in Beijing from 1960 to 2008 are examined and adjusted for inhomogeneities by applying the data of two nearby reference stations. Urban effects on the linear trends of the original and adjusted temperature series are estimated and compared. Results show that relocations of station cause obvious discontinuities in the data series, and one of the discontinuities for Tmin are highly significant when the station was moved from downtown to suburb in 1996. The daily Tmin and Tmax data are adjusted for the inhomogeneities. The mean annual Tmin and Tmax at Huairou station drop by 1.377°C and 0.271°C respectively after homogenization. The adjustments for Tmin are larger than those for Tmax, especially in winter, and the seasonal differences of the adjustments are generally more obvious for Tmin than for Tmax. Urban effects on annual mean Tmin and Tmax trends are ?0.004°C/10 year and ?0.035°C/10 year respectively for the original data, but they increase to 0.388°C/10 year and 0.096°C/10 year respectively for the adjusted data. The increase is more significant for the annual mean Tmin series. Urban contributions to the overall trends of annual mean Tmin and Tmax reach 100% and 28.8% respectively for the adjusted data. Our analysis shows that data homogenization for the stations moved from downtowns to suburbs can lead to a significant overestimate of rising trends of surface air temperature, and this necessitates a careful evaluation and adjustment for urban biases before the data are applied in analyses of local and regional climate change.     

三套再分析降水资料在中国区域的对比评估

利用实测资料对NCEP-1、ERA-40和20CR再分析降水资料在中国范围内均值、年际变化、相关性和长期趋势等方面进行比较评估。结果表明,平均而言ERA-40年降水量和实测值最为接近,而20CR和NCEP-1年降水量明显偏多,三者差值百分比分别为-1.3%,55.0%和36.9%;三种再分析降水偏差最大区均出现在西南地区,最大偏差值都在600 mm以上;年际变化上,ERA-40和NCEP-1自20世纪70年代中期开始年降水差值百分比出现一定波动性,而20CR在整个研究时段年降水差值百分比基本稳定;三套资料和实测资料的相关性具有明显的区域性特征,东部相关系数明显高于西部,值得一提的是ERA-40在大部地区的相关性好于其他两套资料;ERA-40和20CR则对大部分区域降水变化趋势的描述好于NCEP-1资料。     

A new atmospheric proxy for sea level variability in the southeastern North Sea: observations and future ensemble projections

Atmosphere–ocean interactions are known to dominate seasonal to decadal sea level variability in the southeastern North Sea. In this study an atmospheric proxy for the observed sea level variability in the German Bight is introduced. Monthly mean sea level (MSL) time series from 13 tide gauges located in the German Bight and one virtual station record are evaluated in comparison to sea level pressure fields over the North Atlantic and Europe. A quasi-linear relationship between MSL in the German Bight and sea level pressure over Scandinavia and the Iberian Peninsula is found. This relationship is used (1) to evaluate the atmospheric contribution to MSL variability in hindcast experiments over the period from 1871–2008 with data from the twentieth century reanalysis v2 (20CRv2), (2) to isolate the high frequency meteorological variability of MSL from longer-term changes, (3) to derive ensemble projections of the atmospheric contribution to MSL until 2100 with eight different coupled global atmosphere–ocean models (AOGCM’s) under the A1B emission scenario and (4) two additional projections for one AOGCM (ECHAM5/MPI-OM) under the B1 and A2 emission scenarios. The hindcast produces a reasonable good reconstruction explaining approximately 80 % of the observed MSL variability over the period from 1871 to 2008. Observational features such as the divergent seasonal trend development in the second half of the twentieth century, i.e. larger trends from January to March compared to the rest of the year, and regional variations along the German North Sea coastline in trends and variability are well described. For the period from 1961 to 1990 the Kolmogorov-Smirnow test is used to evaluate the ability of the eight AOGCMs to reproduce the observed statistical properties of MSL variations. All models are able to reproduce the statistical distribution of atmospheric MSL. For the target year 2100 the models point to a slight increase in the atmospheric component of MSL with generally larger changes during winter months (October–March). Largest MSL changes in the order of ~5–6 cm are found for the high emission scenario A2, whereas the moderate B1 and intermediate A1B scenarios lead to moderate changes in the order of ~3 cm. All models point to an increasing atmospheric contribution to MSL in the German Bight, but the uncertainties are considerable, i.e. model and scenario uncertainties are in the same order of magnitude.     

Creation of a homogenous climate record for Widdybank Fell in the Upper Teesdale National Nature Reserve, northern England: 1968-2006

A homogenous climate record (1968-2006) is created for Widdybank Fell (515 m) in the Upper Teesdale National Nature Reserve in northern England, one of the longest high-elevation records in the U.K. Separate time series from Widdybank Fell (1968-1995) and nearby Hunt Hall (1996-2006) are combined using a single mobile automatic weather station (AWS) to calibrate between locations based on 5 years of measurements (2000-2005). After instrumental differences are eradicated, transfer functions are developed based on monthly temperature differences, median monthly ratios of wind speed and mean monthly precipitation totals. The resultant monthly time series show limited trends, although minimum temperatures have increased by 0.38°C/decade. There are no secular trends in mean wind speed or monthly precipitation anomalies, in agreement with other studies which suggest northern England is in a transition area between predicted wetting in northern Europe and drying further south.     

El Niño teleconnections in CMIP5 models

Teleconnections associated with warm El Niño/southern oscillation (ENSO) events in 20 climate model intercomparison project 5 (CMIP5) models have been compared with reanalysis observations. Focus has been placed on compact time and space indices, which can be assigned a specific statistical confidence. Nearly all of the models have surface temperature, precipitation and 250 hPa geopotential height departures in the Tropics that are in good agreement with the observations. Most of the models also have realistic anomalies of Northern Hemisphere near-surface temperature, precipitation and 500 hPa geopotential height. Model skill for these variables is significantly related to the ability of a model to accurately simulate Tropical 250 hPa height departures. Additionally, most models have realistic temperature and precipitation anomalies over North America, which are linked to a model’s ability to simulate Tropical 250 hPa and Northern Hemisphere 500 hPa height departures. The skills of temperature and precipitation departures over the Northern Hemisphere and North America are associated with the ability to realistically simulate realistic ENSO frequency and length. Neither horizontal nor vertical resolution differences for either the model atmosphere or ocean are significantly related at the 95 % level to variations in El Niño simulation quality. Overall, recent versions of earlier models have improved in their ability to simulate El Niño teleconnections. For instance, the average model skills of temperature and precipitation for the Tropics, Northern Hemisphere and North America for 11 CMIP5 models are all larger than those for prior versions.     

On the yearly phase delay of winter intraseasonal mode in the western United States

In the western United States, persistent and recurrent flow patterns not only modulate precipitation events but also result in prolonged surface inversion episodes. In this region, the frequency of persistent ridge/trough events ranges between 20 and 40 days, well within the intraseasonal timescale. Based on NCEP reanalysis data starting at 1949, with a focus on the interior West, we observed that episodes of prolonged ridge/trough events appear to occur about a week later every year and resets every 5–7 years—a previously undocumented phenomenon examined herein. Diagnostic analyses indicate that the interplay between regional intraseasonal flow patterns and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) alternates the preferred timeframe for the persistent ridge/trough events to occur. This may result from different phases of the NAO shifting the winter mean ridge and such shifts modulate the occurrence and timing of persistent ridge/trough events. When the timing changes evolve around the quasi-6 years cycle of the NAO, the resultant evolution forms what appears to be a steady phase delay in the ridge/trough events year after year. These results are a further step in disclosing the multiple-scale interaction between intraseasonal and interannual modes and its regional climate/weather impact.     

Downscaling and projection of precipitation from general circulation model predictors in an equatorial climate region by the automated regression-based statistical method

The authors have applied an automated regression-based statistical method, namely, the automated statistical downscaling (ASD) model, to downscale and project the precipitation climatology in an equatorial climate region (Peninsular Malaysia). Five precipitation indices are, principally, downscaled and projected: mean monthly values of precipitation (Mean), standard deviation (STD), 90th percentile of rain day amount, percentage of wet days (Wet-day), and maximum number of consecutive dry days (CDD). The predictors, National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) products, are taken from the daily series reanalysis data, while the global climate model (GCM) outputs are from the Hadley Centre Coupled Model, version 3 (HadCM3) in A2/B2 emission scenarios and Third-Generation Coupled Global Climate Model (CGCM3) in A2 emission scenario. Meanwhile, the predictand data are taken from the arithmetically averaged rain gauge information and used as a baseline data for the evaluation. The results reveal, from the calibration and validation periods spanning a period of 40 years (1961–2000), the ASD model is capable to downscale the precipitation with reasonable accuracy. Overall, during the validation period, the model simulations with the NCEP predictors produce mean monthly precipitation of 6.18–6.20 mm/day (root mean squared error 0.78 and 0.82 mm/day), interpolated, respectively, on HadCM3 and CGCM3 grids, in contrast to 6.00 mm/day as observation. Nevertheless, the model suffers to perform reasonably well at the time of extreme precipitation and summer time, more specifically to generate the CDD and STD indices. The future projections of precipitation (2011–2099) exhibit that there would be an increase in the precipitation amount and frequency in most of the months. Taking the 1961–2000 timeline as the base period, overall, the annual mean precipitation would indicate a surplus projection by nearly 14~18 % under both GCM output cases (HadCM3 A2/B2 scenarios and CGCM3 A2 scenario). According to the model simulation, the September–November periods might be the more significant months projecting the increment of the precipitation amount around over 50 %, while the precipitation deficit would be seen in March–May periods.     

Precipitation trends using in-situ and gridded datasets

Six in situ precipitation time series of varying time periods in the northwestern region and the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) v6 0.5° monthly dataset (1901–2010) were statistically examined for monotonic trends in Trinidad. The Pettit test was used to investigate the abrupt changes in the mean while the Mann–Kendall test was employed to assess the monotonic trends. It was found that three in situ stations and the six grids experienced abrupt changes in the rainfall patterns and that there was an apparent shift in the seasons. In addition, for five out of the six in situ stations no monotonic change was detected in the monthly, seasonal, and annual rainfall patterns. Gradual decreases were detected in the calculated weighted area average for five stations, the GPCCv6 dataset and St. Ann’s time series. The GPCCv6 data indicated that the dry season in the southern Trinidad is becoming drier. Results also suggested that the range between the greatest and lowest recorded rainfall values for some months have increased while others decreased. The gridded dataset appears to give a good representation of the dry season (January to May) rainfall compared with the wet season (June to December) and was found to be negatively biased for the north-western region but may not necessarily be so for the entire island. The results suggested that in the north-western region mirco-climates may exist. It is recommended that further investigations are needed using in situ data.     

Long-term trend and variability of precipitation in Chhattisgarh State,India

Spatial and temporal precipitation variability in Chhattisgarh State in India was examined by using monthly precipitation data for 102 years (1901–2002) from 16 stations. The homogeneity of precipitation data was evaluated by the double-mass curve approach and the presence of serial correlation by lag-1 autocorrelation coefficient. Linear regression analysis, the conventional Mann–Kendall (MK) test, and Spearman’s rho were employed to identify trends and Sen’s slope to estimate the slope of trend line. The coefficient of variation (CV) was used to analyze precipitation variability. Spatial interpolation was done by a Kriging process using ArcGIS 9.3. Results of both parametric and non-parametric tests and trend tests showed that at 5 % significance level, annual precipitation exhibited a decreasing trend at all stations except Bilaspur and Dantewada. For both annual and monsoon precipitation, Sen’s test showed a decreasing trend for all stations, except Bilaspur and Dantewada. The highest percentage of variability was observed in winter precipitation (88.75 %) and minimum percentage variability in annual series (14.01 %) over the 102-year periods.