RAINFALL OVER FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA - HIGH AMOUNTS AND STRONG GEOGRAPHICAL GRADIENTS

The precipitation distribution over Friuli-Venezia Giulia - the easternmost region of Northern Italy extending from the Adriatic Sea to the Alps - has been studied. Monthly rainfall data over the region and the bordering areas of Veneto and Slovenia during the period from 1951 to 1986 have been analyzed by standard statistical methods, including cluster analysis. The overall results emphasize a distribution with rainfall increasing from the sea to the prealpine areas. The highest precipitations were recorded over the Musi-Canin range, with average values exceeding 3 200 mm per year. Noteworthy is the unforeseen subdivision of the region by the clustering procedure by means of the Angot index.