Impact of Typhoons of Different Intensities on Short-Term Precipitation in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River in Summer

Abstract

According to China’s reanalyzed meteorological dataset (CN05.1), a 6-h track intensity typhoon meteorological dataset in the Western Pacific, three types of short-term precipitation are described to study the impact of typhoons on summer rainfall of different intensities in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River: short-term extreme precipitation (95% quantile), short-term heavy precipitation (75% quantile), and normal precipitation (below the lower limit of the 75% quantile threshold). The results show that the amount of short-term extreme precipitation is 1.8 and 3.7 times that of normal precipitation and short-term heavy precipitation, respectively. Considerable interannual and interdecadal fluctuations in the proportion of short-term heavy precipitation and extreme precipitation during summer are affected by typhoons, with a wide range of changes occurring between 1980 and 2000. The areas with high amounts of short-term heavy precipitation and extreme precipitation are distributed mostly in the middle and southern parts of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, whereas areas with a high amount of normal precipitation are distributed mostly in the southeastern parts of the river. The spatial distribution of the three intensities of rainfall affected by typhoons is consistent, with a gradual decrease from southeast to northwest; in addition, the spatial distribution of the proportion of total summer rainfall has similar characteristics. The three intensities of precipitation are affected by the spatial distribution of the typhoon path frequency, and the distribution of the high-value areas is essentially the same as that of precipitation. This indicates that most of the typhoons that affect summer precipitation pass through the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.