DATASET ID:  BPH8801B    

PROJECT TITLE: Delmarva Peninsula hurricane records  

PROJECT GOALS: 
    To build an inventory of tropical storms on the VCR from 1650
to present.  While tropical storms are infrequent (several
landfalls per 100 years) the magnitude of the disturbance is great. 
Storm surges 10 feet plus are expected with waves of 17 to 23 feet
offshore.  The record being developed will serve as a benchmark and 
will serve when the next tropical storm comes.  Comparisons of
frequency and magnitude can be detailed and can be used in model
studies.                         

PROGRESS: 
05/01/89: 
     All of the major storms from 1620-1900 that impacted the
Delmarva Peninsula have been identified and descriptive text
located.  This work has not yet been entered into the VCR/LTER data
base.  Detailed meteorological records for tropical storms for the
post-1900 period are now available in-house.                               

05/02/90: 
     The collection phase of this work is completed and an appropriate
data base for the anecdotal information is being planned.           

05/01/91: 
     Ongoing update for each hurricane season.    

DATASET DESCRIPTION:
Long-term precipitation records from Fort Monroe in Hampton Roads
Virginia. Note: in recent years data from Fort Monroe was not available 
and data for Norfolk substituted.  Annual precipitation for Fort Monroe,
near Norfolk Virginia for 1837-1985.  1986 & 1987 are from the Norfolk
weather station.                          

DATA FORMAT:
       COLUMNS  FORMAT  VARIABLE NAME  CODED  UNITS
       -------  ------  -------------  -----  -----
         9-12     I         YEAR         N      YYYY      
        17-21     I         RAIN         N      Inches    
        26-30     I         RAIN_CM      N      cm        
        33-52     A         NOTES        N                

DESCRIPTIONS:
        NAME          DESCRIPTION
       -------  ------------------------
       YEAR   : Year of record                                              
       RAIN   : Annual rainfall in inches                                   
       RAIN_CM: Annual rainfall in cm                                       
       NOTES  : Specific notes                                              

METHODS:
YEAR   :
RAIN   :
RAIN_CM:
NOTES  :