Why Was the Strengthening of Rainfall in Summer over the Yangtze River Valley in 2016 Less Pronounced than that in 1998 under Similar Preceding El Nino Events？Role of Midlatitude Circulation in August

It is widely recognized that rainfall over the Yangtze River valley （YRV） strengthens considerably during the decaying summer of E1 Nifio, as demonstrated by the catastrophic flooding suffered in the summer of 1998. Nevertheless, the rainfall over the YRV in the summer of 2016 was much weaker than that in 1998, despite the intensity of the 2016 E1 Nifio having been as strong as that in 1998. A thorough comparison of the YRV summer rainfall anomaly between 2016 and 1998 suggests that the difference was caused by the sub-seasonal variation in the YRV rainfall anomaly between these two years, principally in August. The precipitation anomaly was negative in August 2016--different to the positive anomaly of 1998.

Improving Multi-model Ensemble Probabilistic Prediction of Yangtze River Valley Summer Rainfall

Seasonal prediction of summer rainfall over the Yangtze River valley（YRV） is valuable for agricultural and industrial production and freshwater resource management in China, but remains a major challenge. Earlier multi-model ensemble（MME） prediction schemes for summer rainfall over China focus on single-value prediction, which cannot provide the necessary uncertainty information, while commonly-used ensemble schemes for probability density function（PDF） prediction are not adapted to YRV summer rainfall prediction. In the present study, an MME PDF prediction scheme is proposed based on the ENSEMBLES hindcasts. It is similar to the earlier Bayesian ensemble prediction scheme, but with optimization of ensemble members and a revision of the variance modeling of the likelihood function. The optimized ensemble members are regressed YRV summer rainfall with factors selected from model outputs of synchronous 500-h Pa geopotential height as predictors. The revised variance modeling of the likelihood function is a simple linear regression with ensemble spread as the predictor. The cross-validation skill of 1960–2002 YRV summer rainfall prediction shows that the new scheme produces a skillful PDF prediction, and is much better-calibrated, sharper, and more accurate than the earlier Bayesian ensemble and raw ensemble.

POTENTIAL VORTICITY STRUCTURE OF SUMMER CYCLONES OVER THE CHANGJIANG-HUAIHE VALLEY

Based on the theory of Ertel potential vorticity,the isentropic potential vorticity maps and vertical pro- files of potential vorticity for two summer cyclones over the Changjiang-Huaihe Valley are analysed.After discussing a possible mechanism for the genesis and development of such systems and their differences from typical extratropical cyclones,a conceptual model for their activities is proposed:A weak disturbance in the mid- level of troposphere originated from around the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau may cause heavy precipitation under favourable conditions and latent heat release in the mid-troposphere leads to downward extension of cyclonic circulation and a wave on the quasi-stationary front.This weak cyclone can develop substantially and become a typical extratropical cyclone only when air from the lower stratosphere flows downslope along isentropic sur- faces into the region of interest.