Drought to Flood to Drought: A Review of Definitions of Precipitation Whiplash Events, What Causes Them and Their Impacts Over the Continental United States

Abstract

Precipitation whiplash, the rapid shift from drought to flooding, or vice versa, exacerbates the impact of both extremes compared to if they were to occur separately. The recognition of these types of events is relatively recent, and event precursors, driving meteorology and impacts are poorly understood. In response to this, this review summarises the current state of science of precipitation whiplash events in the United States, analysing event definitions, driving meteorology, impacts and the spatial distribution of the studies. Definitions vary considerably in temporal extent, from the transition between wet and dry conditions happening in less than a week to over a year. The climatological drivers and meteorological conditions creating precipitation whiplash events show significant diversity as well, both due to the varying event definitions and also due to the different geographical settings and range of scales of the studies. A wide range of definitions, drivers and impacts are described here, allowing researchers to better understand the phenomenon that is precipitation whiplash while also creating a foundation for future studies to delve deeper into the topic.