## 3 Results  
### Seasonal Variability in Observed Meteorological Variables  
Figure 2 shows the observed monthly rainfall variability in Cabrobo and Ibmirim in the years 2009 (wet year) and 2014 (dry year). In the wet year, Cabrobo registered higher rainfall volumes in all five initial months of the year, with the exception of May, when Ibmirim registered higher values. In the following months, both sites presented similar rainfall variability, with low precipitation volumes (0 to 50 mm) due to the establishment of the dry season. In December 2009, a rainfall peak (120 mm) can be observed in Ibmirim due to an early onset of the rainy season of the subsequent year (2010). In the dry year (2014), monthly rainfall values did not exceed 50 mm in Cabrobo. Similar behavior was observed in Ibmirim, with the exception of February, when more than 100 mm of precipitation was registered.  
Figure 3 shows the air temperature in both studied sites and in the two contrasting years (2009 and 2014). In the wet season (first five months of the year), both sites present a similar air temperature behavior, but in the months from May to August, temperatures in  
Figure 2: Observed monthly rainfall variability in Cabrobo and Ibmirim in 2009 (wet year) and 2014 (dry year).  
Cabrob\(\hat{\rm o}\) were relatively higher, compared with Ibimirim, with the lowest values reaching 24 \({}^{\circ}\)C in Cabrob\(\hat{\rm o}\) and 22 \({}^{\circ}\)C in Ibimirim. Nevertheless, months with the highest and lowest temperatures coincided in both sites. In the dry period, the variability of air temperature was similar in both sites, but Cabrob\(\hat{\rm o}\) values exceeded 28 \({}^{\circ}\)C from September through December, while in Ibimirim, it only occurred in November.  
In Cabrob\(\hat{\rm o}\), the mean air temperature was higher in 2014 between February and June, than in 2009, which reflects the lower observed monthly precipitation. On the other hand, in Ibimirim, the mean air temperature was higher in 2014 during the months from April to July, confirming the influence of monthly rainfall distribution on temperature over the region. In the dry months (September to December), the temperature in 2014 presented a higher variability than in 2009, with temperature values lower than 21.5 \({}^{\circ}\)C (outliers) registered in Ibimirim, indicating that despite the lower annual accumulated rainfall that year, anomalous rainfall events can still drive the decrease in temperature.  
Relative air humidity observed in Cabrob\(\hat{\rm o}\) and Ibimirim in 2009 and 2014 is shown in Figure 4. In the rainy season, both sites presented a similar monthly variability, with the highest RH value occurring in May. Additionally, higher RH values were observed during the five initial months of the years. In the dry season, Ibimirim presented higher RH values (greater than 80%), compared with Cabrob\(\hat{\rm o}\), while also presenting a larger range in observed values.  
Figure 4: Monthly boxplots of hourly relative humidity data in the Cabrob\(\hat{\rm o}\) and Ibimirim sites in 2009 (wet year) and 2014 (dry year).  
Figure 3: Monthly boxplots of hourly air temperature data in the Cabrob\(\hat{\rm o}\) and Ibimirim sites in 2009 (wet year) and 2014 (dry year).  
Figure 5 shows the monthly wind speed variability in Cabrob\(\mathrm{\SIUnitSymbolO}\) and Ibmiririm, in 2009 and 2014. In the rainy season, wind speed varied from 1.0 to 5.0 m s\({}^{-1}\) in Cabrob\(\mathrm{\SIUnitSymbolO}\), while in Ibmirim, the range was smaller, with values between approximately 2.0 and 4.0 m s\({}^{-1}\). In the dry season, Cabrob\(\mathrm{\SIUnitSymbolO}\) also presented higher wind speed values, with observations ranging from 2.0 to 5.0 m s\({}^{-1}\), while in Ibmirim, values ranged from 2.0 to 4.0 m s\({}^{-1}\).