Duration and Seasonality of Hourly Extreme Rainfall in the Central Eastern China

Compared with daily rainfall amount, hourly rainfall rate represents rainfall intensity and the rainfall process more accurately, and thus is more suitable for studies of extreme rainfall events. The distribution functions of annual maximum hourly rainfall amount at 321 stations in China are quantified by the Generalized Extreme Value（GEV） distribution, and the threshold values of hourly rainfall intensity for 5-yr return period are estimated. The spatial distributions of the threshold exhibit significant regional diferences, with low values in northwestern China and high values in northern China, the mid and lower reaches of the Yangtze River valley, the coastal areas of southern China, and the Sichuan basin. The duration and seasonality of the extreme precipitation with 5-yr return periods are further analyzed. The average duration of extreme precipitation events exceeds 12 h in the coastal regions, Yangtze River valley, and eastern slope of the Tibetan Plateau. The duration in northern China is relatively short. The extreme precipitation events develop more rapidly in mountain regions with large elevation diferences than those in the plain areas. There are records of extreme precipitation in as early as April in southern China while extreme rainfall in northern China will not occur until late June. At most stations in China, the latest extreme precipitation happens in August–September. The extreme rainfall later than October can be found only at a small portion of stations in the coastal regions, the southern end of the Asian continent, and the southern part of southwestern China.     

中国地区降水持续性的季节变化特征

本文利用我国588个气象站1969-2008年逐12小时的降水资料,分析了中国地区降水持续性的空间分布特征及其季节演变规律。分析结果表明,35°N以南,西部和东部年平均的降水平均持续时间较长,中部略短;35°N以北,西北和内蒙西部最短,东北地区北部略长。将降水事件按持续时间分类自南向北,东南地区、江淮和黄淮地区、东北和华北北部地区短时降水（持续一个时次,12小时）的降水量和降水频率占全年总降水的比例逐渐增加,持续性降水（持续3个时次及以上）的比例减少。降水平均持续时间随季节的变化基本能反映出江南春雨、江淮梅雨、东北和华北夏季雨季、关中盆地和汉水谷地的秋雨以及青藏高原地区和西南地区夏季雨季。同时,东南地区秋冬季节、江淮和黄淮地区10月上旬和西南地区10月下旬存在降水平均持续时间的峰值,与降水量的变化不一致,是由持续性降水频率的增加和短时降水频率的减少造成的。此外,东部三个区域降水平均持续时间的夏季季节内变化对应了季风雨带的“北跳和南撤”过程。     

Decadal variation of summer rainfall in the yangtzehuaihe river valley and its relationship to atmospheric circulation anomalies over east asia and western north pacific

Decadal variations of summer rainfall during 1951 through 1990 are analyzed by using summer rainfall data of 160 stations in China. Four major patterns of decadal variations are identified. The decadal variations of summer rainfall showed northward shift in the eastern China from South China through the Yangtze-Huaihe River to North China. Summer rainfall in the Yangtze-Huaihe River valley underwent two obvious decadal transitions during the 40 years: one from rainy period to drought period in the end of the 1950’s, the other from drought period to rainy period in the late 1970’s. Correspondingly, the atmospheric circulation over East Asia through the western North Pacific showed two similar obvious transitions. The East Asian/ Pacific (EAP) pattern switched from high index to low index in the end of the 1950’s and from low index to high index in the late 1970’s, respectively. Hence, summer rainfall in the Yangtze-Huaihe River valley is closely associated with the EAP pattern not only in the interannual variation but also in the decadal variation.     

Spatial characteristics of extreme rainfall over China with hourly through 24-hour accumulation periods based on national-level hourly rain gauge data

Hourly rainfall measurements of 1919 national-level meteorological stations from 1981 through 2012 are used to document,for the first time,the climatology of extreme rainfall in hourly through 24-h accumulation periods in China. Rainfall amounts for 3-,6-,12- and 24-h periods at each station are constructed through running accumulation from hourly rainfall data that have been screened by proper quality control procedures. For each station and for each accumulation period,the historical maximum is found,and the corresponding 50-year return values are estimated using generalized extreme value theory. Based on the percentiles of the two types of extreme rainfall values among all the stations,standard thresholds separating Grade I,Grade II and Grade III extreme rainfall are established,which roughly correspond to the 70th and 90th percentiles for each of the accumulation periods. The spatial characteristics of the two types of extreme rainfall are then examined for different accumulation periods. The spatial distributions of extreme rainfall in hourly through 6-h periods are more similar than those of 12- and 24-h periods. Grade III rainfall is mostly found over South China,the western Sichuan Basin,along the southern and eastern coastlines,and in the large river basins and plains. There are similar numbers of stations with Grade III extreme hourly rainfall north and south of 30°N,but the percentage increases to about 70% south of 30°N as the accumulation period increases to 24 hours,reflecting richer moisture and more prolonged rain events in southern China. Potential applications of the extreme rainfall climatology and classification standards are suggested at the end.     

中国西北干旱区年降雨量的时空变化

通过对中国西部地区６８个站３０年年降雨量的分析，把中国西部划分为６个降雨量性质不相关的区。通过对西北３个区的分析，把年降雨量划分为８种不同的空间分布类型。分析表明，控制中国西北干旱区的天气系统主要为西风系统。在过去的３０年间，西北干旱区的气候并非都是变得越来越干，不同的地区变化情况不同。     

Progress in Studies of the Precipitation Diurnal Variation over Contiguous China

This paper summarizes the recent progress in studies of the diurnal variation of precipitation over con- tiguous China. The main results are as follows. （1） The rainfall diurnal variation over contiguous China presents distinct regional features. In summer, precipitation peaks in the late afternoon over the south- ern inland China and northeastern China, while it peaks around midnight over southwestern China. In the upper and middle reaches of Yangtze River valley, precipitation occurs mostly in the early morning. Summer precipitation over the central eastern China （most regions of the Tibetan Plateau） has two diurnal peaks, i.e., one in the early morning （midnight） and the other in the late afternoon. （2） The rainfall diurnal variation experiences obvious seasonal and sub-seasonal evolutions. In cold seasons, the regional contrast of rainfall diurnal peaks decreases, with an early morning maximum over most of the southern China. Over the central eastern China, diurnal monsoon rainfall shows sub-seasonal variations with the movement of summer monsoon systems. The rainfall peak mainly occurs in the early morning （late afternoon） during the active （break） monsoon period. （3） Cloud properties and occurrence time of rainfall diurnal peaks are different for long- and short-duration rainfall events. Long-duration rainfall events are dominated by strat- iform precipitation, with the maximum surface rain rate and the highest profile occurring in the late night to early morning, while short-duration rainfall events are more related to convective precipitation, with the maximum surface rain rate and the highest profile occurring between the late afternoon and early night. （4） The rainfall diurnal variation is influenced by multi-scale mountain-valley and land-sea breezes as well as large-scale atmospheric circulation, and involves complicated formation and evolution of cloud and rainfall systems. The diurnal cycle of winds in the lower troposphere also contributes to the regional differences     

Surface rainfall and cloud budgets associated with mei-yu torrential rainfall over eastern China during June 2011

Surface rainfall and cloud budgets associated with three heavy rainfall events that occurred over eastern China during the mei-yu season in June 2011 were analyzed using 2D cumulus ensemble model simulation data.Model domain mean rainfall showed three peaks in response to three prescribed ascending motion maxima,primarily through the mean moisture convergence during the torrential rainfall period.Prescribed ascending motion throughout the troposphere produced strong convective rainfall during the first （9 June） and third （17-18 June） rainfall events,whereas strong prescribed ascending motion in the mid and upper troposphere and weak subsidence near the surface generated equally important stratiform and convective rainfall during the second rainfall event （14 June）.The analysis of surface rainfall budgets reveals that convective rainfall was associated with atmospheric drying during the first event and moisture convergence during the third event.Both stratiform and convective rainfall responded primarily to moisture convergence during the second event.An analysis of grid data shows that the first and third mean rainfall maxima had smaller horizontal scales of the precipitation system than the second.     

华北汛期降水与亚洲季风异常关系的研究

文中诊断分析了华北汛期降水与亚洲季风区环流异常以及低纬地区热源异常的关系,结果表明:在华北汛期干旱年,亚洲季风偏弱,而在华北汛期降水偏多年,亚洲季风较强,并巳存在两个明显的变化中心,一个位于印度半岛中北部地区,另一个位于菲律宾群岛附近。华北汛期干旱年上述两个地区的热源偏弱,而降水偏多年则偏强。 华北地区干旱年和降水偏多年的前期亚洲季风区热源就已存在明显的不同:华北汛期干旱年前期,亚洲季风区的热源偏弱且位置偏南,表现出季节变化推迟的趋势;华北汛期降水偏多年前期,亚洲季风区的热源偏强且位置偏北,表现出季节变化提早的趋势。 利用IAP L9R15 AGCM气候数值模式,进一步研究了亚洲季风区凝结潜热加热异常对大气环流和华北地区降水的影响,结果表明,印度半岛中北部地区和菲律宾附近地区的凝结潜热加热异常将引起青藏高压和西太平洋副高的异常变化,进而影响到华北地区的降水。     

Energy Paths that Sustain the Warm-Sector Torrential Rainfall over South China and Their Contrasts to the Frontal Rainfall: A Case Study

Predicting warm-sector torrential rainfall over South China, which is famous for its destructive power, is one of the most challenging issues of the current numerical forecast field. Insufficient understanding of the key mechanisms underlying this type of event is the root cause. Since understanding the energetics is crucial to understanding the evolutions of various types of weather systems, a general methodology for investigating energetics of torrential rainfall is provided in this study. By applying this methodology to a persistent torrential rainfall event which had concurrent frontal and warm-sector precipitation, the first physical image on the energetics of the warm-sector torrential rainfall is established. This clarifies the energy sources for producing the warm-sector rainfall during this event. For the first time, fundamental similarities and differences between the warm-sector and frontal torrential rainfall are shown in terms of energetics. It is found that these two types of rainfall mainly differed from each other in the lower-tropospheric dynamical features, and their key differences lay in energy sources. Scale interactions (mainly through downscale energy cascade and transport) were a dominant factor for the warm-sector torrential rainfall during this event, whereas, for the frontal torrential rainfall, they were only of secondary importance. Three typical signals in the background environment are found to have supplied energy to the warm-sector torrential rainfall, with the quasi-biweekly oscillation having contributed the most.     

Diurnal cycles of precipitation over subtropical China in IPCC AR5 AMIP simulations

Atmospheric Intercomparison Project simulations of the summertime diurnal cycle of precipitation and low-level winds over subtropical China by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report models were evaluated. By analyzing the diurnal variation of convective and stratiform components, results confirmed that major biases in rainfall diurnal cycles over subtropical China are due to convection parameterization and further pointed to the diurnal variation of convective rainfall being closely related to the closure of the convective scheme. All models captured the early-morning peak of total rainfall over the East China Sea, but most models had problems in simulating diurnal rainfall variations over land areas of subtropical China. When total rainfall was divided into stratiform and convective rainfall, all models successfully simulated the diurnal variation of stratiform rainfall with a maximum in the early morning. The models, overestimating noon-time （nocturnal） total rainfall over land, generally simulated too much convective rainfall, which peaked close to noon （midnight）, sharing some similarities in the closures of their deep convection schemes. The better performance of the Meteorological Research Institute atmospherer. ocean coupled global climate model version 3 （MRI-CGCM3） is attributed to the well captured ratio of the two kinds of rainfall, but not diurnal variations of the two components. Therefore, a proper ratio of convective and stratiform rainfall to total rainfall is also important to improve simulated diurnal rainfall variation.