Relationships between extreme precipitation and temperature

What is it about?

The curve relating daily precipitation extremes with local temperatures has a peak structure, increasing as expected at the low–medium range of temperature variations but decreasing at high temperatures. However, this peak-shaped relationship does not imply a potential upper limit for future precipitation extremes. Because the atmosphere can gold more moisture at higher temperatures (7% per deg C), intensity of rainfall increases in general, provided there is moisture available. But very high temperatures occur because of drought and the absence of evaporative cooling, and hence this no longer applies at some point. This article describes these relationships and how they may change.

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Why is it important?

This relates to future projections of rainfall extremes: very intense rains.