Title:	Spatiotemporal variability of dry spells during the rainy season in Maranhão state, Brazil.
Authors:	CORREA, W. C. SOUSA, A. M. de SOUZA NETO, J. V. de SOUSA, A. C. de SAGRILO, E. OLIVEIRA JUNIOR, J. O. L. de OLIVEIRA-JUNIOR, J. F. de MACHADO, N. A. F.
Affiliation:	WELLINGTON CRUZ CORREA, FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF MARANHAO; ANDREZA MACIEL DE SOUSA, FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF MARANHÃO; JOAO VALERIO DE SOUZA NETO, FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF MARANHÃO; ANDRESSA CARVALHO DE SOUSA, FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF MARANHÃO; EDVALDO SAGRILO, CPAMN; JOSE OSCAR LUSTOSA DE OLIVEIRA JUNIOR, CPAMN; JOSE FRANCISCO DE OLIVEIRA-JUNIOR, FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF ALAGOAS; NÍTALO ANDRE FARIAS MACHADO, FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF MARANHAO.
Date Issued:	2026
Citation:	Atmospheric Research, v. 342, Article 109185, 2026.
Description:	Dry spells during the rainy season can negatively impact the agricultural, water, and ecological sectors. Despite these risks, such events have been little studied in Maranhão. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze the variability of dry spells in Maranhão during the rainy season (December to May) using daily precipitation data (1994-2023) from 123 meteorological stations. Dry spells were defined as ≥3 consecutive days with pre­cipitation <1 mm, categorized into classes A (3-6 days), B (7-10 days), C (11-14 days), and D (≥15 days), and spatialized using the Inverse Distance Weighting method. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to classes A (>frequency) and D (>duration) to identify patterns of variability in their frequencies related to geographic and atmospheric variables, and under which climatic characteristics they occur.
Keywords:	Precipitação diária Períodos de seca Variabilidade espaço-temporal Análise multivariada
DOI:	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2026.109185
Type of Material:	Artigo de periódico
Access:	openAccess
Appears in Collections:	Artigo em periódico indexado (CPAMN)