Changes in total precipitation, rainy days and extreme events in northeastern Italy

A new daily precipitation dataset, for the period 1920 - 1998, comprising seven stations located in the northeastern Italy is presented. Seasonal and annual precipitation and number of rainy days have been analysed and a study aimed at investigating precipitation intensity and extreme events has been performed. Precipitation intensity has been analysed through studying both the mean precipitation amount per wet day and dividing precipitation into heavy and non-heavy classes. In addition, the return period of the extreme events has been calculated for 30-year running windows and its variations have been examined. The results show a negative trend in the number of wet days associated with an increase in the contribution of heavy rainfall events to total precipitation. This is in agreement with a reduction in return period for extreme events since 1920. Copyright (C) 2001 Royal Meteorological Society.