Characteristics of clustered heavy precipitation events at Northeast China and associated atmospheric circulations

Abstract

AbstractHeavy precipitation events can exert greater impact than general precipitation on the economy, ecology, and people’s livelihoods. Based on CN05.1 daily precipitation data and the NCEP/NCAR global daily reanalysis dataset, this study analyzes the characteristics of clustered heavy precipitation (CHP) events during summer in Northeast China (NEC) during 1961–2020, with consideration of associated atmospheric circulations and moisture transport. Results indicate that CHP events occurred mainly during midsummer, especially in July. Both the frequency and the intensity of CHP events decrease after the mid-1970s, increase after the early 1980s, and then diminish again after the 2000s. The CHP events occur in association with an anomalous lower-tropospheric cyclone centered over NEC, northward and westward shifts of the western North Pacific subtropical high in the middle troposphere, and northward shift of an intensified westerly jet in the upper troposphere, in conjunction with strengthened local convective motion. Additionally, the net moisture budget begins to increase 2 days before the occurrence of CHP and peaks 6 h earlier than the CHP. Further results indicate that net moisture influx across the southern boundary of NEC made a dominant contribution to the net moisture budget. The results of this study have importance regarding the prediction of CHP events over NEC.