SEASONAL AND INTERANNUAL VARIATIONS OF RAINFALL OVER EASTERN NORTHEAST BRAZIL

Using the data for the period 1914-83, rainy and dry seasons of easter n Northeast (ENE) Brazil are determined. The principal rainy season is April through July (60% of the annual rainfall), and the principal dr y season is September through December (10% of the annual rainfall). T he fall and winter rains over ENE Brazil are associated with southeast erly winds blowing perpendicular to the coast. The subtropical high in the South Atlantic modulates the strength and direction of winds alon g the coast that have a determining influence on the interannual varia tions of rainfall over ENE Brazil. The possible link between the rainf all over ENE Brazil and SST anomalies in the Atlantic is examined. The SST anomalies of the season January, February, March, April (JFMA) in the southeast Atlantic are positively correlated with the rainfall an omalies of ENE Brazil. The sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly patte rn frequently becomes established by January/February over southeast A tlantic suggesting the predictive value of SST anomalies over southeas t Atlantic for the rainfall over ENE Brazil.