Investigating a Century of Rainfall: The Impact of Elevation on Precipitation Changes (Northern Tuscany, Italy)

Precipitation is crucial for the renewal of water resources, but climate change alters its frequency and quantity, challenging societies for proper and effective water management. Understanding precipitation changes and their relationship with local topography is crucial for societal resilience. The study area corresponds to Northern Tuscany (Italy), where its topography includes mountain ridges and coastal and river plains. Forty-eight rain gauges with continuous time series of annual precipitation were selected. These were analyzed for trends and differences in mean annual precipitation between the stable period of 1921-1970 and the last 30 years 1990-2019. The relationship between precipitation changes and local topography was also examined.