The connection between 500 hPa geopotential height and heavy rainfall over Iraq: A case study Available to Purchase

The relationship between weather patterns at 500 hPa geopotential height and surface low pressure is discussed in this paper. Rainfall in the mid-latitudes is heavily tied to the synoptic pattern at the upper levels. Surface low pressure is enhanced by upper-level weather patterns, resulting in heavy rainfall events. We study heavy rainfall events between 2010 and 2020, the weather patterns at the upper level that cause heavy rainfall over Iraq are (cut off low and trough), which can be observed clearly on 500 hPa maps. The decrease of the value of geopotential height compared to the location at the same latitude indicates unsettled weather over the location with a lower value of geopotential height. two case studies were conducted in 2013 where a heavy rainfall event occurred across Iraq, the weather pattern at the upper boosted low pressure at the surface which advects moist, warm air, resulting in higher instability and heavy rainfall over Iraq.