calculation are significant above the 75% confidence level, but all three are weakly 
consistent with accelerated rise. For the epoch 1951-1987, Key West sea level, 
corrected for post-glacial rebound, is best explained by concurrent measurements of 0 
- 1,000 db dynamic height anomaly change. 
1973 - 1976 
Burpee, R. W. (1979) Peninsula-scale convergence in the south Florida sea breeze. Mon. 
Wea. Rev.. 107:852-60. 
Computations of peninsula-scale convergence in southern Florida reveal that daily- 
averaged surface convergence on sea-breeze days with relatively little rainfall is 
larger than on days with widespread rain. This negative correlation between surface 
convergence and area-averaged rainfall occurs as a result of significantly less surface 
convergence in the late afternoon and early evening on those days with considerable 
rainfall. The decrease in sea-breeze convergence during the late afternoon of the days 
with extensive rainfall is apparently a consequence of the downdrafts and 
thunderstorm-generated cirrus cloud cover produced by the deep convection that forms 
in the sea-breeze convergence zones. Before the typical mid afternoon maximum of 
deep convection on sea-breeze days, there is no significant difference between the 
surface convergence averaged for days with widespread rain and for days with little 
rain. Important differences are observed, however, in the middle troposphere, where 
the sea-breeze days with widespread rain are more moist and have cooler 
temperatures than the days with little or no rain. The observations suggest that both 
the magnitude and timing of the convective response to the sea-breeze forcing during 
the afternoon are very sensitive to the moisture amount and stability in the mid 
troposphere. This report is based on data from the Key West, Miami and Tampa weather 
stations recorded from 1973 - 1976. 
1973 - 1976 
Burpee, R. W., and L. Lahiff (1984) Area-average rainfall variations on sea-breeze days in 
south Florida. Mon. Wea. Re v.. 112:520-34. 
Summer convective regimes over south Florida can be broadly classified as either sea 
breeze or disturbed. Sea-breeze circulations develop on one or both coasts on most 
days with relatively little high cloudiness during the morning hours. The sea breeze 
strongly modulates the development of deep convection and produces sharp mid 
afternoon peak in rainfall. Disturbed days, which are characterized by extensive high 
cloudiness near sunrise, also have a rainfall maximum during the afternoon. 
Relationships between rainfall and thermodynamic and kinematic variables on disturbed 
and sea-breeze days have some significant differences. Comparison rainfall records 
from the south Florida peninsula with observations from the Florida Keys, where sea- 
breeze circulations are relatively weak, indicates that the sea breeze accounts for 
about 35-40% of south Florida peninsula rainfall during the summer months. Area- 
averaged rainfall and the time variations of peninsula-scale surface divergence and 
hourly rainfall sea-breeze days are affected by the value of mid tropospheric humidity, 
and lower tropospheric lapse rate, wind speed, and wind direction measured at 0700 
EST. Days with relatively high humidity and steep lapse rates typically have deep 
convective activity that tends to develop sooner and reach its peak earlier than normal. 
Also, on such days surface convergence is significantly less than average in the late 
afternoon and early evening. Physical and dynamical processes that might account for 
the smaller values of surface convergence in the late afternoon are discussed. The 
magnitude of the low-level wind speed (1000 - 800 mb) observed at 0700 EST does not 
greatly affect the timing of peninsula-scale rainfall. Sea-breeze days with weaker than 
average low-level wind speeds have relatively large values of surface convergence and 
more rainfall during the afternoon. There are two sea-breeze regimes for low-level 
373 
