Heavy Rainfall Events in Selected Geographic Regions of Mexico, Associated with Hail Cannons

Victor M. Rodríguez-Moreno () and Juan Estrada-Ávalos
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Victor M. Rodríguez-Moreno: INIFAP, National Institute for Forestry, Agriculture and Livestock Research, Experimental Field Station Pabellon, Km 32.5 Highway Aguascalientes-Zacatecas, Pabellon de Arteaga ZP 20670, Mexico
Juan Estrada-Ávalos: INIFAP, National Institute for Forestry, Agriculture and Livestock Research, CENID RASPA, Km 6.5 Left Margin of Sacramento Cannel, Gomez Palacio ZP 35140, Mexico

Forecasting, 2024, vol. 6, issue 2, 1-16

Abstract: In this article, we document the use of hail cannons in Mexico to dispel or suppress heavy rain episodes, a common practice among farmers, without scientific evidence to support its effectiveness. This study uses two rain databases: one compiled from the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission and the other generated with the implementation of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. The aim is to explore the association between heavy rain episodes and hail cannon locations. The analysis includes two geographic features: a pair of coordinates and a 3 km radius area of influence around each hail cannon. This dimension is based on the size and distribution of the heavy rainfall events. This study analyzes four years of half-hourly rain data using the Python ecosystem environment with machine learning libraries. The results show no relationship between the operation of hail cannons and the dissipation or attenuation of heavy rainfall events. However, this study highlights that the significant differences between the GPM and WRF databases in registering heavy rain events may be attributable to their own uncertainty. Despite the unavailability of ground-based observations, the inefficiency of hail cannons in affecting the occurrence of heavy rain events is evident. Overall, this study provides scientific evidence that hail cannons are inefficient in preventing the occurrence of heavy rain episodes.

Keywords: WRF; remote sensing; hail cannon; heavy rainfall (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A1 B4 C0 C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C8 M0 Q2 Q3 Q4 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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