Cause analysis of the extreme hourly precipitation and its relationship with the urban heat island intensity in Shenyang, China

Abstract

Based on the hourly temperature and precipitation data from China national meteorological stations and regional automatic weather stations in Shenyang, the relationship between extreme hourly precipitation (ExHP) and urban heat island Intensity (UHII) is analyzed. Results show that the UHII is higher at night and in the early morning. The ExHP events mostly occur at night in summer when the UHII is relatively high. The spatial distribution of UHII in Shenyang is consistent with the economic development and the transportation density. Denser population and transportation, and high-rise buildings in the urban center contribute to higher UHII. There are three types of ExHP, namely the abrupt-type ExHP, the growing-type ExHP and the continuous-type ExHP. The overall variation characteristics of the three types of ExHP are relatively consistent. Their UHII values are positive and relatively stable in 6–12 h before the start of ExHP. The UHII begins to increase dramatically about 6 h before the ExHP, but decreases obviously and turn negative after the precipitation begins. Before the abrupt ExHP, the UHII is relatively high and can rapidly return to positive after the ending of ExHP. The UHII of the abrupt-type ExHP is remarkably larger than that of the growing-type and continuous-type ExHP. The UHII before and after the abrupt-type ExHP differs greatly. Before the abrupt ExHP, the UHII is high in the center and low at both ends, and the high-value areas of UHII are mainly located in the urban area. After the abrupt-type EXHP, the UHII drops and turn negative in the whole area. The UHII is obviously increasing with urbanization. The diurnal variation of UHII is enormous, which is higher at night than during the daytime. The increasing UHII can cause abnormal air pressure in cities and villages. The air in the lower atmospheric layer of the city can be heated and expanded, hence resulting in lower local air pressure. Then, the lower air pressure can promote the convergence and upward movement of air, hence facilitating the establishment of UHII circulation. This phenomenon is particularly distinct at night, which is conducive to the occurrence of ExHP events.