Relationship between the Late Spring NAO and Summer Extreme Precipitation Frequency in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River

The relationship between the late spring North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the summer extreme precipitation frequency (EPF) in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Valley (MLYRV) is examined using an NECP/NCAR reanalysis dataset and daily precipitation data from 74 stations in the MLYRV. The results show a significant negative correlation between the May NAO index and the EPF over the MLYRV in the subsequent summer. In positive EPF index years, the East Asian westerly jet shifts farther southward, and two blocking high positive anomalies appear over the Sea of Okhotsk and the Ural Mountains. These anomalies are favorable to the cold air from the mid-high latitudes invading the Yangtze River Valley (YRV). The moisture convergence and the ascending motion dominate the MLYRV. The above patterns are reversed in negative EPF index years. A wave train pattern that originates from the North Atlantic extends eastward to the Mediterranean and then moves to the Tibetan Plateau and from there to the YRV, which is an important link in the May NAO and the summer extreme precipitation in the MLYRV. The wave train may be aroused by the tripole pattern of the SST, which can explain why the May NAO affects the summer EPF in the MLYRV.

Summer extreme precipitation patterns and synoptic-scale circulation precursors over the Tibetan Plateau

In the context of global warming,the extreme summer precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau(TP)has changed significantly.In this study,the summer(June–August)extreme precipitation on the TP was classified into three spatial types by applying the K-means clustering method to the Third Pole Region long time-series high-resolution(1/30°)precipitation dataset(TPHi Pr,1979–2020).The characteristics of the circulation anomalies and precursors corresponding to the extreme precipitation on the TP in summer during 1979–2020 were investigated.The results showed that the summer extreme precipitation of the TP can be categorized into northwestern(NW),southeastern(SE),and southern Himalayan(HS)types based on extreme precipitation thresholds.The NW and SE types are mainly influenced by anomalous signals in the mid-to-high latitude regions upstream of them,whereas the HS type is controlled by the localized subtropical anomalous circulation.On the 8th day before the onset of the NW type,an anomalous cyclone was observed in the western Atlantic Ocean(60°W,50°N),which triggered the west-to-east quasi-latitudinal propagation of Rossby waves.On the onset day of the NW type,the upper troposphere showed positive-negative-positive geopotential height anomalies along the latitudinal 40°N from the Caspian Sea,the western part of Xinjiang,to the northeastern TP.Moisture entered from the Arabian Sea along the southeastern edge of the anomalous cyclone on the southwestern TP and converged in the northwestern TP.Compared to the NW type,the precursors of the SE type appeared at higher latitudes and were more intense.On the 8th day before the onset of the SE type,an anomalous cyclone occurred near Greenland(60°W,70°N)and excited Rossby waves propagating southeastward.On the onset day of the SE type,the upper troposphere showed negative-positive-negative geopotential height anomalies across Eurasia from the Ural Mountains and the Iranian Plateau to the northern TP in the northwest-southeast direction and entered the southeastern TP from the Bay of Bengal along the southeastern edge of the anomalous cyclone in the southern TP.On the 6th day before the onset of the HS type,the anomalously high pressure in the middle and lower layers of the low-latitude region extended westward,and a significant anticyclonic anomalous circulation occurred on the southern TP on the onset day of the HS type,enabling the delivery of moisture from the Bay of Bengal to the southern foothills of the Himalayas.Additionally,an anomalous cyclone perched in the northeastern TP at a geopotential height of 200 h Pa strengthened westerly winds in the southern TP and contributed to the maintenance of the anticyclonic system on the southern TP.