The Anomalous European Climates Linked to Different Euro-Atlantic Blocking

The impact on temperature and precipitation anomalies over the European continent of the different action centers of blocking events in the Euro-Atlantic sector was investigated. It was found that the position of the blocking action center in the Euro-Atlantic region seems to dominate European climates. When the center of the blocking action is in the Greenland region, there is a strong negative temperature anomaly over Central and Northern Europe, as well as a strong positive precipitation anomaly over southern Europe. However, there tends to be a strong negative temperature anomaly in the west （east） part of Europe when the center of the blocking action is shifted to the Eastern Atlantic and west Europe （east Europe）. In particular, when the blocking action center is closer to the European continent, the fall in temperature becomes more evident over Central and south Europe than over other regions. Moreover, it was found that when the region where the blocking action center exists changes from the Eastern Atlantic and west Europe region to the east Europe region, the existing region of dominant positive precipitation anomalies varies from southwest Europe to southeast Europe and the Middle East.     

POSSIBLE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENSO AND BLOCKING IN KEY REGIONS OF EURASIA

Using reanalysis data provided by the U.S.National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research,the potential relationship between the El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle and blocking highs in three key regions of Eurasia (Ural,Baikal,and Okhotsk) from 1950 to 2008 is analyzed.Composite analysis of 500 hPa geopotential height field during different stages of ENSO reveals that in the winters of El Ni?o (EN) years,there is significant negative anomaly of geopotential height in the three key regions.In the winters of La Ni?a (LN) years,on the other hand,significant positive anomaly of geopotential height is observed in Eastern Ural,Baikal,and Okhotsk.In summer,Okhotsk exhibits positive anomaly,which is significant at a confidence level of 90% by Student’s t-test during the developing stage of an LN year.In the developing stage of an EN year,geopotential height field at 500 hPa manifests positive (negative) anomaly in Baikal (Ural and Okhotsk),while the geopotential height field at 500 hPa exhibits positive (negative) anomaly in Ural and Okhotsk (Baikal) during the decaying stage of both EN and LN years.However,these abnormities are insignificant in a developing EN year,decaying EN year,and the summer of a decaying LN year.By analyzing 500 hPa geopotential height field during different phases of the ENSO cycle,it is observed that results of the case study are consistent with those of composite analysis.Annual average blocking is likewise examined during the different stages of ENSO from 1950 to 2008.Combined with composite analysis and case study,results indicate that blockings in the three key regions are suppressed (enhanced) during the winters of EN (LN) years.In summer,the influence of ENSO on the blockings in the three key regions is not as significant as that in winter.Evidently,developing LN may enhance blockings in Okhotsk.Influence factors on blockings are various and complex.This paper indicates that the influence of ENSO on blockings cannot be neglected,and that it is crucial to related operational forecasting as a potential signal.     

Contrasts of Atmospheric Circulation and Associated Tropical Convection between Huaihe River Valley and Yangtze River Valley Mei-yu Flooding

The significant differences of atmospheric circulation between flooding in the Huaihe and Yangtze River valleys during early mei-yu(i.e.,the East Asian rainy season in June) and the related tropical convection were investigated.During the both flooding cases,although the geopotential height anomalies always exhibit equivalent barotropic structures in middle to high latitudes at middle and upper troposphere,the phase of the Rossby wave train is different over Eurasian continent.During flooding in the Huaihe River valley,only one single blocking anticyclone is located over Baikal Lake.In contrast,during flooding in the Yangtze River valley,there are two blocking anticyclones.One is over the Ural Mountains and the other is over Northeast Asia.In the lower troposphere a positive geopotential height anomaly is located at the western ridge of subtropical anticyclone over Western Pacific(SAWP) in both flooding cases,but the location of the height anomaly is much farther north and west during the Huaihe River mei-yu flooding.Furthermore,abnormal rainfall in the Huaihe River valley and the regions north of it in China is closely linked with the latent heating anomaly over the Arabian Sea and Indian peninsula.However,the rainfall in the Yangtze River valley and the regions to its south in China is strongly related to the convection over the western tropical Pacific.Numerical experiments demonstrated that the enhanced latent heating over the Arabian Sea and Indian peninsula causes water vapor convergence in the region south of Tibetan Plateau and in the Huaihe River valley extending to Japan Sea with enhanced precipitation;and vapor divergence over the Yangtze River valley and the regions to its south with deficient precipitation.While the weakened convection in the tropical West Pacific results in moisture converging over the Yangtze River and the region to its south,along with abundant rainfall.     

Impacts of two types of El Niño on atmospheric circulation in the Southern Hemisphere

Based on NCEP/NCAR （National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmo- spheric Research） reanalysis data from 1979 to 2010, the impacts of two types of E1 Nino on atmospheric circulation in the Southern Hemisphere （SH） are analyzed. It is shown thaL when a warming event occurs in the equatorial eastern Pacific （EP E1 Nino）, there is a negative sea level pressure （SLP） anomaly in the east- ern Pacific and a positive one in the western Pacific. Besides, there exists a negative anomaly between 40°S and 60°S and a positive anomaly to the south of 60°S. When a warming event in the central Pacific （CP E1 Nino） occurs, there appears a negative SLP anomaly in the central Pacific and a positive SLP anomaly in the eastern and western Pacific, but the SLP anomalies are not so evident in the SH extratropics. In particular, the Pacific-South America （PSA） pattern induced by the CP E1 Nino is located more northwestward, with a weaker anomaly compared with the EP E1 Nino. This difference is directly related with the different position of heating centers associated with the two types of E1 Nino events. Because the SST anomaly associated with CP E1 Nino is located more westward than that associated with EP El Nino, the related heating center tends to move westward and the response of SH atmospheric circulation to the tropical heating changes accordingly, thus exciting a different position of the PSA pattern. It is also noted that the local meridional cell plays a role in the SH high latitudes during EP E1 Nino. The anomalous ascending motion due to the enhancement of convection over the eastern Pacific leads to an enhancement of the local Hadley cell and the meridional cell in the middle and high latitudes, which in turn induces an anomalous descending motion and the related positive anomaly of geopotential height over the Amundsen-Bellingshausen Sea.     

An Asymmetric Spatiotemporal Connection between the Euro-Atlantic Blocking within the NAO Life Cycle and European Climates

This paper examines an asymmetric spatiotemporal connection and climatic impact between the winter atmospheric blocking activity in the Euro-Atlantic sector and the life cycle of the North Atlantic Oscillation(NAO) during the period 1950–2012. Results show that, for positive NAO(NAO+) events, the instantaneous blocking(IB) frequency exhibits an enhancement along the southwest–northeast(SW–NE) direction from the eastern Atlantic to northeastern Europe(SW–NE pattern, hereafter), which is particularly evident during the NAO+decaying stage. By contrast, for negative NAO(NAO-)events, the IB frequency exhibits a spatially asymmetric southeast–northwest(SE–NW) distribution from central Europe to the North Atlantic and Greenland(SE–NW pattern, hereafter). Moreover, for NAO-(NAO+) events, the most marked decrease(increase) in the surface air temperature(SAT) in winter over northern Europe is in the decaying stage. For NAO+events, the dominant positive temperature and precipitation anomalies exhibit the SW–NE-oriented distribution from western to northeastern Europe, which is parallel to the NAO+-related blocking frequency distribution. For NAO-events, the dominant negative temperature anomaly is in northern and central Europe, whereas the dominant positive precipitation anomaly is distributed over southern Europe along the SW–NE direction. In addition, the downward infrared radiation controlled by the NAO's circulation plays a crucial role in the SAT anomaly distribution. It is further shown that the NAO's phase can act as an asymmetric impact on the European climate through producing this asymmetric spatiotemporal connection with the Euro-Atlantic IB frequency.     

Statistical Downscaling for Multi-Model Ensemble Prediction of Summer Monsoon Rainfall in the Asia-Pacific Region Using Geopotential Height Field

The 21-yr ensemble predictions of model precipitation and circulation in the East Asian and western North Pacific （Asia-Pacific） summer monsoon region （0°-50°N, 100° 150°E） were evaluated in nine different AGCM, used in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Climate Center （APCC） multi-model ensemble seasonal prediction system. The analysis indicates that the precipitation anomaly patterns of model ensemble predictions are substantially different from the observed counterparts in this region, but the summer monsoon circulations are reasonably predicted. For example, all models can well produce the interannual variability of the western North Pacific monsoon index （WNPMI） defined by 850 hPa winds, but they failed to predict the relationship between WNPMI and precipitation anomalies. The interannual variability of the 500 hPa geopotential height （GPH） can be well predicted by the models in contrast to precipitation anomalies. On the basis of such model performances and the relationship between the interannual variations of 500 hPa GPH and precipitation anomalies, we developed a statistical scheme used to downscale the summer monsoon precipitation anomaly on the basis of EOF and singular value decomposition （SVD）. In this scheme, the three leading EOF modes of 500 hPa GPH anomaly fields predicted by the models are firstly corrected by the linear regression between the principal components in each model and observation, respectively. Then, the corrected model GPH is chosen as the predictor to downscale the precipitation anomaly field, which is assembled by the forecasted expansion coefficients of model 500 hPa GPH and the three leading SVD modes of observed precipitation anomaly corresponding to the prediction of model 500 hPa GPH during a 19-year training period. The cross-validated forecasts suggest that this downscaling scheme may have a potential to improve the forecast skill of the precipitation anomaly in the South China Sea, western North Pacific and the East Asia Pacific regions, wh     

A Novel Identification of the Polar/Eurasia Pattern and Its Weather Impact in May

The Polar/Eurasia(POL) pattern was previously identified based on the empirical orthogonal function method and monthly mean data, in which the positive and negative phases are anti-symmetric in spatial distribution. This paper identifies the positive(POL+) and negative(POL-) phases of the POL pattern through applying a novel approach, i.e.,self-organizing maps, to daily 500-h Pa geopotential height fields in May over 1948–2017. The POL+, POL1-, and POL2-patterns defined by this method represent actual physical modes. The POL+ pattern features a wave train from the northeastern Atlantic/northern Europe via the subarctic regions of Eurasia to Lake Baikal. The POL1-pattern is characterized by a planetary-scale dipole pattern with a positive anomaly band over subarctic Eurasia and a negative anomaly band from central Asia to the Sea of Okhotsk. The anomaly centers of the POL2-pattern are basically antisymmetrical to those of the POL+ pattern. The POL+ pattern increases the blocking frequency over the northeastern Atlantic/northern Europe and northeastern Asia, where high-frequency transient eddies are highly recurrent in the north. Accordingly, precipitation increases apparently in the subarctic Asian continent and western Siberia, and decreases around Europe and Lake Baikal. A mimic wave train is also observed in the surface air temperature anomaly field. During the POL1-period, the blocking frequency is abnormally high over Eurasia, whereas high-frequency transient eddies are apparently suppressed over northern Eurasia. Correspondingly, significant precipitation deficits are observed in northern Eurasia. The POL1-pattern also causes a remarkable temperature increase in the subarctic seas of Eurasia and a considerable temperature drop in the midlatitude Asian continent. As the POL2-pattern prevails, the blocking frequency decreases over the North Atlantic/Europe but strengthens over the Asian continent. The POL2-pattern also causes wavelike anomalies of precipitation and surface air temperature over northern Eurasia.     

Spatial and Temporal Variations of Blocking and Cyclogenesis in the 1978 / 79 Winter

Complex empirical orthogonal function (CEOF) and Fourier analyses are applied to 500 hPa geopotential height anomaly for two selected latitude belts in the Northern Hemisphere from Dec 1978 through Feb 1979 based on the ECMWF FGGE Hl-b data. The positive anomalies in the three leading CEOFs for the high-latitude belt mainly show the preferred locations for blocking activity in the North Atlantic, the North Pacific and to the west of the Ural Mountains. The negative anomalies in the three leading CEOFs for the mid-latitude belt mainly show the preferred locations for cyclogenesis in the east coasts of Asia and North America, and the Mediterranean; weak cyclogenesis is also seen in the western United States and off the coasts of Spain and Morocco. The travelling components of the positive anomalies in the high-latitude belt mainly propagate westward, weakening as approaching the east side of some mountain chains while intensifying to the west side. On the contrary, the travelling components of the negativ     

On the relationship between the winter Eurasian teleconnection pattern and the following summer precipitation over China

The Eurasian teleconnection pattern(EU) is an important low-frequency pattern with well-known impacts on climate anomalies in Eurasia. The difference of low-level v-winds in several regions in the Eurasian mid–high latitudes is defined as the EU index(EUIV). In this study, the relationship between the winter EUIVand precipitation in the following summer over China is investigated. Results show that there is a significant positive(negative) correlation between the winter EUIVand the following summer precipitation over North China(the Yangtze River–Huaihe River basins). Meanwhile, an interdecadal variability exists in the interannual relationship, and the correlation has become significantly enhanced since the early 1980 s.Thus, the proposed EUIVmay have implications for the prediction of summer precipitation anomalies over China. In positive winter EUIVyears, three cyclonic circulation anomalies are observed—over the Ural Mountains, the Okhotsk Sea, and the subtropical western North Pacific. That is, the Ural blocking and Okhotsk blocking are inactive, zonal circulation prevails in the mid–high latitudes, and the western Pacific subtropical high tends to be weaker and locates to the north of its normal position in the following summer. This leads to above-normal moisture penetrating into the northern part of East China, and significant positive(negative) precipitation anomalies over North China(the Yangtze River–Huaihe River basins), and vice versa. Further examination shows that the SST anomalies over the Northwest Pacific and subtropical central North Pacific may both contribute to the formation of EUIV-related circulation anomalies over the western North Pacific.     

The Impact of Mid- and High-Latitude Rossby Wave Activities on the Medium-Range Evolution of the EAP Pattern During the Pre-Rainy Period of South China

Based on the NCEP DOE AMIP II daily reanalysis data (1979{2005), the evolution of the East Asia/Pacific(EAP) teleconnection pattern during the pre-rainy period of South China is studied on the medium-range time scale. It is found that positive and negative EAP patterns share a similar generation process. In the middle and upper troposphere, Rossby wave packets emanating from the northeast Atlantic or Europe propagate toward East Asia along the Eurasian continent waveguide and finally give rise to the three anomaly centers of the EAP pattern over East Asia. Among the three anomaly centers, the western Pacific subtropical center appears the latest. Rossby wave packets propagate from the high latitude anomaly center toward the mid-latitude and the subtropical ones. The enhancement and maintenance of the subtropical anomaly center is closely associated with the subtropical jet waveguide and the incoming Rossby wave packets from the upstream. In the lower troposphere, Rossby wave packets emanate from the subtropical Asia toward East Asia. Positive and negative EAP patterns could not be regarded as "mirrors" to each other with simply re- versed phase. For the positive pattern, the positive height anomaly center around the Scandinavia Peninsula keeps its strength and position during the mature period, and the Rossby wave packets thus propagate persistently toward East Asia, facilitating a longer mature time of the positive pattern. As for the formation of the negative EAP pattern, however, the incoming Rossby wave energy from the upstream contributes to both the enhancement and southeastward movement of the negative anomaly belt from the Yenisei River to the Bering Strait and the positive anomaly center around Mongolia. At the peak time, the two anomlous circulations are evolved into the Northeast Asia and the mid-latitude anomaly centers of the negative pattern, respectively. The energy dispersion of Rossby wave packets is relatively fast due to the predominant zonal circulation in the extratropics, causing a shorter mature period of the negative pattern. During the pre-rainy period of South China, the prevalence of the EAP pattern signiˉcantly affects the rainfall over the region south of the Yangtze River. The positive (negative) EAP pattern tends to causepositive (negative) precipitation anomalies in that region. This is di?erent from the earlier research findingsbased on monthly mean data.     

Interannual Variations of the Blocking High over the Ural Mountains and Its Association with the AO/NAO in Boreal Winter

This paper analyzes interannual variations of the blocking high over the Ural Mountains in the boreal winter and their association with the Arctic Oscillation/North Atlantic Oscillation (AO/NAO).In Jan...     

江淮梅雨季亚洲阻塞高压活动统计特征

利用1960—2018年6—7月NCEP/NCAR逐日再分析资料和同期中国国家气象站日降水量资料,对江淮梅雨季亚洲地区阻塞高压活动地理分布、关键区阻塞高压事件活动频次、生命周期以及年际和年代际变化,及其与江淮梅雨异常的关系进行了系统分析。结果表明:（1）近59年江淮梅雨季（6—7月）,亚洲阻塞高压事件共计363次,其中心主要分布在乌拉尔山区域（40°—80°E）、贝加尔湖区域（80°—120°E）和鄂霍次克海区域（120°—160°E）3个关键区。（2）3个关键区阻塞高压事件的次数和累计日数由高到低依次为:鄂霍次克海、乌拉尔山和贝加尔湖区域。双阻塞形势以乌拉尔山-鄂霍次克海双阻居多,约占亚洲地区双阻日数的60%。阻塞事件的平均生命周期7 d左右,最长维持时间为13 d。（3）3个关键区总的及分区的阻塞次数和日数都有明显的年际变化并呈增加的趋势,其中线性增加趋势最为明显的是鄂霍次克海区域,与近59年江淮梅雨季的累计雨量增加趋势一致。（4）江淮梅雨季降雨量多寡与阻塞高压活动密切相关,梅雨正（负）异常年鄂霍次克海区域、乌拉尔山-鄂霍次克海双阻日数和次数显著偏多（偏少）,而乌拉尔山和贝加尔湖区域的阻塞高压事件与梅雨关系并不显著。（5）江淮梅雨季鄂霍次克海阻塞高压的日数多寡可能与前期海表温度异常信号ENSO有关。      

1月北大西洋东部-乌拉尔山阻塞高压频次年际尺度偶极子模态特征

基于观测和再分析资料,本文研究了近几十年来1月北大西洋东部-乌拉尔山阻塞高压频次年际变异主导模态特征及与其相联的大气背景场。结果表明,1980—2019年冬季(12月—次年2月)该地区阻塞高压频次年际变异的主导模态存在明显月际差异:12月表现为北大西洋东部-欧洲西部地区阻塞高压频次的显著同位相变化,1月为北大西洋东部-欧洲西部与乌拉尔山地区阻塞高压频次的具有显著的反位相变化即偶极子模态,2月则为北大西洋东部-乌拉尔山阻塞高压频次的显著同位相变化。进一步研究表明:1月北大西洋东部-乌拉尔山阻塞高压频次偶极子模态与同期局地纬向西风、纬向风垂直切变、经向位涡梯度等大气背景场异常偶极型变化相联系。当乌拉尔山地区关键大气背景场为负异常,而北大西洋东部-欧洲西部为正异常时,两个地区阻塞高压频次分别增加和减少,呈现偶极子模态;反之亦然。阻塞高压频次偶极子模态及相关的背景环流异常可通过调节水平温度平流、垂直运动和水汽输送等来影响1月欧亚北部气温和降水,以及它们的极端事件频次。当阻塞高压频次偶极子模态处于正位相时,乌拉尔山北部(南部)和欧洲南部增温(降温),极端暖、冷事件频次分别增加(减少)和减少(增加...     

夏季乌拉尔长阻塞过程及其与热带热力异常关系个例分析

2010和1998年均为长江洪涝年,这两年大气环流的一个共同特征是乌拉尔阻塞的频繁发生和异常维持。利用NCEP/NCAR逐日再分析的大气环流资料和向上射出长波辐射资料,对比分析了2010和1998年夏季乌拉尔地区环流持续异常的特征、大尺度环流形势、热带加热背景及其可能影响。结果显示:(1)2010年夏季乌拉尔发生了一次持续正异常过程,该过程是自1948年以来持续时间第二长(共37天)的,其最大异常中心在乌拉尔略偏西,持续时间比1998年的那次过程长(1998年的那次过程持续时间为22天);(2)异常过程期间存在行星波活动异常,2010年的过程行星波活动以2、4波的贡献为主,而1998年为1、2波的贡献为主;(3)异常过程期间,热带对流活动存在显著差异。这可能是它们行星波活动不同的原因;(4)两次异常过程期间,一个共同特点是在苏门答腊西侧的热带印度洋区域存在明显的对流增强。该区域强对流可能激发了类似东亚—太平洋遥相关型的波列向中高纬传播,从而调制行星波活动,再影响乌拉尔位势高度异常的形成和持续维持。     

Decadal windstorm activity in the North Atlantic-European sector and its relationship to the meridional overturning circulation in an ensemble of simulations with a coupled climate model

The relationship between decadal variations in the North Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC) and North Atlantic/Western European windstorm activity during the extended winter season is studied. According to an ensemble of three 240-year long simulations performed with the ECHAM5-MPIOM model, periods of high decadal windstorm activity frequently occur in the years following a phase of weak MOC (i.e. when the MOC starts to recover). These periods are characterised by a distinctive pattern in the mixed layer ocean heat content (OHC). A positive anomaly is located in the region 45°N?52°N/35°W?16°W (west of France). Negative anomalies are located to the North and South. The signal can be detected both in the heat content of the oceanic mixed layer and in the sea surface temperatures. Its structure is consistent with anomalously enhanced baroclinic instability in the region with the strong negative OHC gradient (30°W?10°W/45°N?60°N), which eventually produces a higher probability of windstorms.     

北极海冰对2008年1月乌拉尔高压异常的影响

2008年1月我国南方发生了大范围的雨雪冰冻灾害天气,造成此次灾害的一个重要原因是乌拉尔高压异常的长期维持,而作为下垫面的海洋,2007/2008冬季环北欧海海冰异常偏少。观测资料合成分析表明,乌拉尔山地区出现高压异常与巴伦支海和喀拉海的海冰偏少存在密切对应关系。利用大气环流模式试验研究了(90°W~60°E)区域海冰异常对大气的影响,模拟结果显示海冰对乌拉尔高压异常有正的贡献,线性模式诊断表明天气尺度瞬变波是海冰影响乌拉尔高压异常的一种重要机制。     

亚欧中纬度关键区正位势高度距平场配置与中国冬季区域性极端低温事件的联系

基于中国地面台站观测资料和NCEP再分析资料,研究了欧亚中纬度500 hPa高度场关键区正异常配置及其与中国冬季区域性极端低温事件(Regional Extreme Low Temperature Events, RELTE)的联系。结果表明,发生RELTE时乌拉尔山(简称乌山)、贝加尔湖(简称贝湖)和雅库茨克—鄂科斯克海(简称雅鄂)附近的某一区域出现高度场正异常的概率为0.83,即欧亚关键区500 hPa正高度距平场的相互匹配是形成RELTE的直接原因。在此基础上,将三个关键区域高度场异常配置分为7种类型:乌山型、贝湖型、雅鄂型、乌山—贝湖型、乌山—贝湖—雅鄂型、乌山—雅鄂型、贝湖—雅鄂型。不同类型异常模态对应的RELTE在空间分布、持续时间和强度等各有差异,如:乌山型对应RELTE以全国型为主,平均持续天数达14.2天;乌山—雅鄂型对应的RELTE以东北—华北型为主,事件平均持续天数为14.1天。此外,不同类型的异常配置均对应有超前于RELTE的前期特征,平均超前时间为1~8天不等。超前天数的空间分布、高度场异常的时间演化,进一步揭示了乌山以西和雅鄂以东两个方向高度场异常的发展并形成多种环流异常模态的过程,也验证了RELTE存在前期信号的可能性。     

Characteristics of summertime daily rainfall variability over South America and the South Atlantic Convergence Zone

Summary ?This paper presents an objective analysis of the structure of daily rainfall variability over the South American/South Atlantic region (15°–60° W and 0°–40° S) during individual austral summer months of November to March. From EOF analysis of satellite derived daily rainfall we find that the leading mode of variability is represented by a highly coherent meridional dipole structure, organised into 2 extensive bands, oriented northwest to southeast across the continent and Atlantic Ocean. We argue that this dipole structure represents variability in the meridional position of the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ). During early and later summer, in the positive (negative) phase of the dipole, enhanced (suppressed) rainfall over eastern tropical Brazil links with that over the subtropical and extra-tropical Atlantic and is associated with suppressed (enhanced) rainfall over the sub-tropical plains and adjacent Atlantic Ocean. This structure is indicative of interaction between the tropical, subtropical and temperate zones. Composite fields from NCEP reanalysis products (associated with the major positive and negative events) show that in early and late summer the position of the SACZ is associated with variability in: (a) the midlatitude wave structure, (b) the position of the continental low, and (c) the zonal position of the South Atlantic Subtropical High. Harmonic analysis of the 200 hPa geopotential anomaly structure in the midlatitudes indicates that reversals in the rainfall dipole structure are associated primarily with variability in zonal wave 4. There is evidence of a wave train extending throughout the midlatitudes from the western Pacific into the SACZ region. During positive (negative) events the largest anomalous moisture advection occurs within westerlies (easterlies) primarily from Amazonia (the South Atlantic). In both phases a convergent poleward flow results along the leading edge of the low-level trough extending from the tropics into temperate latitudes. High summer events differ from those in early and late summer in that the rainfall dipole is primarily associated with variability in the phase of zonal wave 3, and that tropical-temperate link is not clearly evident in positive events. Received May 31, 2001; revised October 17, 2001; accepted June 13, 2002