Correlation Analysis of Persistent Heavy Rainfall Events in the Vicinity of the Yangtze River Valley and Global Outgoing Longwave Radiation in the Preceding Month

Based on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration （NOAA） daily satellite dataset of global outgoing longwave radiation （OLR） for the period of 1974-2004 and the NCEP-NCAR reanalysis for 1971- 2004, the linkage between persistent heavy rainfall （PHR） events in the vicinity of the Yangtze River valley and global OLR leading up to those events （with 1- to 3O-day lag） was investigated. The results reveal that there is a significant connection between the initiation of PHR events over the study area and anomalous convective activity over the tropical Indian Ocean, maritime continent, and tropical western Pacific Ocean. During the 30-day period prior to the onset of PHR events, the major significantly anomalous convective centers have an apparent dipole structure, always with enhanced convection in the west and suppressed convection in the east. This dipole structure continuously shifts eastward with time during the 30-day lead period. The influence of the anomalous convective activity over the tropical oceans on the initiation of PHR events over the study area is achieved via an interaction between tropical and extratropical latitudes. More specifically, anomalous convective activity weakens the Walker circulation cell over the tropical Indian Ocean first. This is followed by a weakening of the Indian summer monsoon background state and the excitation and dispersion of Rossby wave activity over Eurasia. Finally, a major modulation of the large scale background circulation occurs. As a result, the condition of a phase-lock among major large scale circulation features favoring PHR events is established over the study area.

NUMERICAL STUDY OF COLD AIR IMPACT ON RAINFALL REINFORCEMENT ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL CYCLONE TALIM(2005):I.IMPACT OF DIFFERENT COLD AIR INTENSITY

In 2005,significant rainfall reinforcement and severe disaster was induced by tropical cyclone(TC) Talim after it made landfall on the east of China.Observational analyses show that it has relationship with cold air intrusion.For investigating the impact of cold air intensity,we make use of Weather Research and Forecasting(WRF) model,the synthesizer of NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data and Japan regional spectral model data,to carry out numerical experiments.Results show that rainfall reinforcement occurs in all experiments.Different intensity of cold air can modify the rainfall distribution and intensity significantly.In the rainfall center,the increment maximum of rainfall is twice as large as that of the minimum.Moderate cold air intrusion may result in the strongest rainfall reinforcement.Different cold air intensity can lead to different motion of low-level convergence lines and fronts.There is a good relationship between the rainfall region and the eastern part of the front.On one hand,strong cold air weakens the TC intensity by its intrusion into the TC center and results in weak convergence and a convergent zone and a rain band shifted southward.On the other hand,weak cold air reduces the convergence and moves the convergent zone and rain band northward.Moderate cold air intrusion maintains strong low-level convergence and high-level divergence,keeping strong upward motion over certain regions.Consequently,the rain band begins to stagnate and rainfall reinforces abruptly therein.

A DYNAMICAL INTERPRETATION OF THE WIND FIELD IN TROPICAL CYCLONES

Based on the primitive equations in polar coordinates and with the supposition that parcel velocity in tropical cyclones is in linear variation and that the distribution of surface pressure agrees with the Fujita formula, a set of equations are derived, which describe the impact of perturbations of central pressure, position of tropical cyclones, direction and velocity of movement of tropical cyclones on the wind field. It is proved that the second order approximation of the kinetic energy of tropical cyclones can be described by the equations under linear approximation. Typhoon Wipha (2007) is selected to verify the above interpretation method, and the results show that the interpretation method of the wind field could give very good results before the landfall of tropical cyclones, while making no apparent improvement after the landfall. The dynamical interpretation method in this paper is applicable to improving the forecasts of the wind field of tropical cyclones close to the coast.

A DYNAMICAL INTERPRETATION OF THE WIND FIELD IN TROPICAL CYCLONES WITH THE CONSIDERATION OF OROGRAPHIC FACTORS

Based on the barotropic primitive equation in the polar coordinate system and the appropriate assumption, we obtained the mathematical equation of orographic forcing on unit mass air parcel. With the consideration of the frictional stress of the sea and land, supposing that parcel velocity in tropical cyclones is in linear variation and that the distribution of surface pressure is circular, a set of equations are derived, which describe the impact of orographic slope error, the central pressure error and position error of tropical cyclones on the wind field in the tropical cyclone. Typhoon Wipha (2007) is selected to verify the above interpretation method. The results show that the orographic slope, the frictional coefficient, the intensity and position of the cyclone are the important factors which have great influence on the interpretation of wind information about tropical cyclones. The dynamic interpretation method gives very good results, especially for the coastal area. It is applicable to improving the forecasts of the wind field in tropical cyclones.

Numerical Study of the Mesoscale Systems in the Spiral Rainband of 0509 Typhoon Matsa

The Advanced Weather Research and Forecasting Model （ARW） is used to simulate the local heavy rainstorm process caused by Typhoon Matsa over the northeastern coast of Zhejiang Province in 2005. The results show that the rainstorm was caused mainly by the secondary spiral rainband of the Stationary Band Complex （SBC） structure. Within the secondary spiral rainband there was a strong meso-β-scale convergence line generated in the boundary layer, corresponding very well to the Doppler radar echo band. The convergence line comprised several smaller convergence centers, and all of these convergence columns inclined outward. Along the convergence line there was precipitation greater than 20 mm occurring during the following one hour. During the heavy rainstorm process, the Doppler radar echo band, convergence line, and the precipitation amount during the following one hour, moved and evolved synchronously. Further study reveals that the vertical shear of radial wind and the low-level jet of tangential wind contributed to the genesis and development of the convergence columns. The combined effect of the ascending leg of the clockwise secondary circulation of radial wind and the favorable environment of the entrance region of the low-level jet of tangential wind further strengthened the convergence. The warm, moist inflow in the lower levels was brought in by the inflows of the clockwise secondary circulation and uplifted intensely at the effect of convergence. In the convectively instable environment, strong convection was triggered to produce the heavy rainstorm.

Numerical Simulation of the Sudden Rainstorm Associated with the Remnants of Typhoon Meranti (2010)

The Advanced Research Weather Forecasting （ARW） model was used to simulate the sudden heavy rainstorm associated with the remnants of Typhoon Meranti in September 2010. The results showed that the heavy rainfall was produced when the remnant clouds redeveloped suddenly, and the redevelopment was caused by rapid growth of micro/mesoscale convective systems （MCSs）. As cold air intruded into the warm remnant clouds, the atmosphere became convectively unstable and frontogenesis happened due to strong wind shear between weak northerly flow and strong southwesterly flow in the lower levels. Under frontogenesis-foreing and warm-air advection stimulation in updrafts, vertical convection developed intensely inside the remnant clouds, with MCSs forming and maturing along the front. The genesis and development of MCSs was due to the great progress vertical vorticity made. The moist isentropic surface became slantwise as atmospheric baroclinity intensified when cold air intruded, which reduced the convective instability of the air.Meanwhile, vertical wind shear increased because the north cold air caused the wind direction to turn from south to north with height. In accordance with slantwise vorticity development （SVD）, vertical vorticity would develop vigorously and contribute greatly to MCSs. Buoyancy, the pressure gradient, and the lifting of cold air were collectively the source of kinetic energy for rainfall. The low-level southwesterly jet from the western margin of the Western Pacific Subtropical High transported water and heat to remnant clouds. Energy bursts and continuous water vapor transportation played a major role in producing intense rainfall in a very short period of time.

PRELIMINARY RESEARCH ON THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE INNER CORE SIZE AND OUTER SIZE OF TROPICAL CYCLONES AND THEIR INTENSITY

Based on the Regional Spectral Model(RSM) re-analysis data from Japan Meteorological Agency(JMA) with a horizontal resolution of 20 km and a time interval of 6 h,this study works on the outer and inner core size of 2174 samples of tropical cyclones(TCs) occurring over the western North Pacific between 2001 and 2007.Some conclusions have been drawn on the basis of preliminary analysis of the TC inner core size and outer size and their relationship with TC intensity.First,the outer size increase(decrease) helps TCs intensify(weaken).Second,the enlargement(shrinking) of the inner core size helps TCs intensify(weaken) if TCs have a large inner core(with radius of maximum winds larger than 120 km).Contrarily,when TCs have small inner core(with radius of maximum winds smaller than 120 km),the enlargement(shrinking) of the inner core is good for weakening(intensifying) of TCs.

Microphysical characteristics of precipitating cumulus cloud based on airborne Ka-band cloud radar and droplet measurements

在积云中,大多数云粒子的直径在7到10微米之间,而在层云中,大多数云粒子的直径不超过2微米.云滴有效半径与云中行星边界层(PBL)及PBL上层的气溶胶数浓度(Na)呈负相关.在1500米以上的高液态水含量区域,云滴浓度(Nc)变化不大,Na含量降低.高雷达反射率对应于大的FCDP云粒子浓度和小的气溶胶粒子浓度.积云中的强上升气流增加了云滴的峰值半径和数浓度,拓宽了云滴谱;较低的空气温度有利于粒子的凝结增长,并产生较大的液滴.

CLOUD RADIATIVE AND MICROPHYSICAL EFFECTS ON THE RELATION BETWEEN SPATIAL MEAN RAIN RATE, RAIN INTENSITY AND FRACTIONAL RAINFALL COVERAGE

Cloud radiative and microphysical effects on the relation between spatial mean rain rate, rain intensity and fractional rainfall coverage are investigated in this study by conducting and analyzing a series of two-dimensional cloud resolving model sensitivity experiments of pre-summer torrential rainfall in June 2008. The analysis of time-mean data shows that the exclusion of radiative effects of liquid clouds reduces domain mean rain rate by decreasing convective rain rate mainly through the reduced convective-rainfall area associated with the strengthened hydrometeor gain in the presence of radiative effects of ice clouds, whereas it increases domain mean rain rate by enhancing convective rain rate mainly via the intensified convective rain intensity associated with the enhanced net condensation in the absence of radiative effects of ice clouds. The removal of radiative effects of ice clouds decreases domain mean rain rate by reducing stratiform rain rate through the suppressed stratiform rain intensity related to the suppressed net condensation in the presence of radiative effects of liquid clouds, whereas it increases domain mean rain rate by strengthening convective rain rate mainly via the enhanced convective rain intensity in response to the enhanced net condensation in the absence of radiative effects of liquid clouds. The elimination of microphysical effects of ice clouds suppresses domain mean rain rate by reducing stratiform rain rate through the reduced stratiform-rainfall area associated with severely reduced hydrometeor loss.

A SIMILARITY SCHEME FOR QUANTITATIVE FORECAST OF PRECIPITATION OF TYPHOONS

A quantitative scheme is put forward in our work of forecasting the storm rainfall of typhoons for specific sites.Using the initial parameters,weather situations and physical quantities as well as numerical weather prediction products,the scheme constructs multivariate,objective and similarity criteria for environmental factors for the time between the current and forthcoming moment within the domain of forecast.Through defining a non-linear similarity index,this work presents a comprehensive assessment of the similarity between historical samples of typhoons and those being forecast in terms of continuous dynamic states under the multivariate criteria in order to identify similar samples.The historical rainfall records of the similar samples are used to run weighted summarization of the similarity index to determine site-specific and quantitative forecasts of future typhoon rainfall.Samples resembling the typhoon being forecast are selected by defining a non-linear similarity index composed of multiple criteria.Trial tests have demonstrated that this scheme has positive prediction skill.

A NUMERICAL STUDY OF TROPICAL DEEP CONVECTION USING WRF MODEL

The Weather Research Forecast model (WRF) configured with high resolution and NCEP 1°×1° reanalysis data were used to simulate the development of a tropical deep convection over the Tiwi Islands,northern Australia,and to investigate the sensitivity of model results to model configuration and parameterization schemes of microphysical processes.The simulation results were compared with available measurements.The results show that the model can reproduce most of the important characteristics of the observed diurnal evolution of the convection,including the initiation of convection along the sea-breeze front,which is then reinforced by downdraft outflows,merging of cells and the formation of a deep convective system.However,further improvement is needed to simulate more accurately the location and the time for initiation of the deep convective system.Sensitivity tests show that double-nesting schemes are more accurate than the non-nesting schemes in predicting the distribution and intensity of precipitation as far as this particular case is concerned.Additionally,microphysical schemes also have an effect on the simulated amount of precipitation.It is shown that the best agreement is reached between the simulation results and observations when the Purdue Lin scheme is used.

STUDY ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF TROPICAL CYCLONES ACTIVITY OVER THE WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC IN 2004 AND THE CAUSATION

In this paper, we summarized the characteristics of tropical cyclones (TC) activity over the western North Pacific in 2004 and analyzed their causation. Compared with the normal, the annual frequency of TC in 2004 was slightly higher, tropical cyclones in 2004 had a longer life span and occurred in a concentrated period, the source of TC were situated eastward; in all tracks of TC, the recurvature tracks took up larger proportion, the landfall regions of TC were located northward, which concentrated from East China to Japan. The primary causes were revealed as follows. Firstly, the intensity and area of the western North Pacific subtropical high was stronger and larger than usual respectively, and its ridge was frequently in the form of cells and stretched northwestward. Secondly, the convergence of intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) was reinforced and the convergence zone moved more eastward than average. Thirdly, the meridionality of the westerlies was larger than average and the cell-shaped ridge formed a saddle region, which is in favor of TC northward motion and recurature.

FACTORS AFFECTING THE TRACK OF TROPICAL CYCLONES AFTER LANDFALL IN EASTERN CHINA

The correlation and composite analysis are carried out in this paper to study major factors affecting the track of tropical cyclones (TCs) after their landfall in the east of China. The mid-tropospheric environmental steering flow is found to dominate the movement of a TC even after landfall, with the inertia and Coriolis force two other subordinates. A key region is discovered covering the east of China and Yellow Sea, in which the environmental flow significantly affects the movement of TCs making landfall in this part of China. When the subtropical high in this region strengthens and extends westward, accompanied by northward shrink of the westerly trough, the TC tends to move westward after landfall and disappear inland. However, when the subtropical high in this region weakens and shrinks eastward, accompanied by southward push of the westerly trough, the TC tends to recurve after landfall and re-enter the sea at a location to the north of the site of landfall. The environment before the landfall of a TC has little impact on its post-landfall track, which is sensitive to the environmental change 12 – 24 hours after landfall. A 6-hour lag is found between the environmental change and the movement of a TC after landfall.

PRELIMINARY STUDY ON RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DOUBLE VORTICES SELF-ORGANIZATION AND TYPHOON FORMATION IN BAROCLINIC ENVIRONMENT

The relationship between the self-organization of double vortices (SODVs) and the formation of typhoons was discussed based on six numerical experiments with the Fifth-Generation National Center for Atmospheric Research/Penn State Mesoscale Model (MM5) and further discussion was made with a real typhoon case. The results showed that there is a critical distance dc for SODVs in baroclinic atmosphere. When the distance between separated vortices is smaller than or equal to dc, the double vortices self-organize into a typhoon-like vortex with two spiral bands. But the double vortices cannot have such organization if the distance between them is larger than dc. The value of dc is about 380 km in the context of ideal conditions in this paper, larger than that achieved in a barotropic model. A typical typhoon case in 2005 (Haitang) was selected to verify the above-mentioned conclusions. It was found that the SODV is one of the important and typical ways for the formation of typhoons.

Improved forecasting via physics-guided machine learning as exemplified using“21·7”extreme rainfall event in Henan

As a natural disaster,extreme precipitation is among the most destructive and influential,but predicting its occurrence and evolution accurately is very challenging because of its rarity and uniqueness.Taking the example of the“21·7”extreme precipitation event(17–21 July 2021)in Henan Province,this study explores the potential of using physics-guided machine learning to improve the accuracy of forecasting the intensity and location of extreme precipitation.Three physics-guided ways of embedding physical features,fusing physical model forecasts and revised loss function are used,i.e.,(1)analyzing the anomalous circulation and thermodynamical factors,(2)analyzing the multi-model forecast bias and the associated underlying reasons for it,and(3)using professional forecasting knowledge to design the loss function,and the corresponding results are used as input for machine learning to improve the forecasting accuracy.The results indicate that by learning the relationship between anomalous physical features and heavy precipitation,the forecasting of precipitation intensity is improved significantly,but the location is rarely adjusted and more false alarms appear.Possible reasons for this are as follows.The anomalous features used here mainly contain information about large-scale systems and factors which are consistent with the model precipitation deviation;moreover,the samples of extreme precipitation are sparse and so the algorithm used here is simple.However,by combining“good and different”multi models with machine learning,the advantages of each model are extracted and then the location of the precipitation center in the forecast is improved significantly.Therefore,by combining the appropriate anomalous features with multi-model fusion,an integrated improvement of the forecast of the rainfall intensity and location is achieved.Overall,this study is a novel exploration to improve the refined forecasting of heavy precipitation with extreme intensity and high variability,and provides a reference for the deep fusion of physics and artificial intelligence methods to improve intense rain forecast.

ResoNet:Robust and Explainable ENSO Forecasts with Hybrid Convolution and Transformer Networks

Recent studies have shown that deep learning(DL)models can skillfully forecast El Niño–Southern Oscillation(ENSO)events more than 1.5 years in advance.However,concerns regarding the reliability of predictions made by DL methods persist,including potential overfitting issues and lack of interpretability.Here,we propose ResoNet,a DL model that combines CNN(convolutional neural network)and transformer architectures.This hybrid architecture enables our model to adequately capture local sea surface temperature anomalies as well as long-range inter-basin interactions across oceans.We show that ResoNet can robustly predict ENSO at lead times of 19 months,thus outperforming existing approaches in terms of the forecast horizon.According to an explainability method applied to ResoNet predictions of El Niño and La Niña from 1-to 18-month leads,we find that it predicts the Niño-3.4 index based on multiple physically reasonable mechanisms,such as the recharge oscillator concept,seasonal footprint mechanism,and Indian Ocean capacitor effect.Moreover,we demonstrate for the first time that the asymmetry between El Niño and La Niña development can be captured by ResoNet.Our results could help to alleviate skepticism about applying DL models for ENSO prediction and encourage more attempts to discover and predict climate phenomena using AI methods.

Dynamics of local extreme rainfall of super Typhoon Soudelor (2015) in East China

The characteristics and dynamics associated with the distribution, intensity, and triggering factors of local severe precipitation in Zhejiang Province induced by Super Typhoon Soudelor(2015) were investigated using mesoscale surface observations, radar reflectivity, satellite nephograms, and the final(FNL) analyses of the Global Forecasting System(GFS) of the National Center for Environmental Prediction(NCEP). The rainfall processes during Soudelor's landfall and translation over East China could be separated into four stages based on rainfall characteristics such as distribution, intensity, and corresponding dynamics. The relatively less precipitation in the first stage resulted from interaction between the easterly wind to the north flank of this tropical cyclone(TC) and the coastal topography along the southeast of Zhejiang Province, China. With landfall of the TC in East China during the second stage, precipitation maxima occurred because of interaction between the TC's principal rainbands and the local topography from northeastern Fujian Province to southwestern Zhejiang Province. The distribution of precipitation presented significant asymmetric features in the third stage with maximal rainfall bands in the northeast quadrant of the TC when Soudelor's track turned from westward to northward as the TC decayed rapidly. Finally, during the northward to northeastward translation of the TC in the fourth stage, the interaction between a mid-latitude weather system and the northern part of the TC resulted in transfer of the maximum rainfall from the north of Zhejiang Province to the north of Jiangsu Province,which represented the end of rainfall in Zhejiang Province. Further quantitative calculations of the rainfall rate induced by the interaction between local topography and TC circulation(defined as "orographic effects") in the context of a one-dimensional simplified model showed that orographic effects were the primary factor determining the intensity of precipitation in this case,and accounted for over 50% of the total precipitation. The asymmetric distribution of the TC's rainbands was closely related to the asymmetric distribution of moisture resulted from changes of the TC's structure, and led to asymmetric distribution of local intense precipitation induced by Soudelor. Based on analysis of this TC, it could be concluded that local severe rainfall in the coastal regions of East China is closely related to changes of TC structure and intensity, as well as the outer rainbands. In addition, precipitation intensity and duration will increase correspondingly because of the complex interactions between the TC and local topography, and the particular TC track along large-scale steering flow. The results of this study may be useful for the understanding, prediction, and warning of disasters induced by local extreme rainfall caused by TCs, especially for facilitating forecasting and warning of flooding and mudslides associated with torrential rain caused by interactions between landfalling TCs and coastal topography.

Variations of Winter Precipitation over Southeastern China in Association with the North Atlantic Oscillation

The synoptic-scale winter precipitation variations over southeastem China （22°-32°N, 105°-125°E） and their asso- ciation with the North Atlantic Oscillation （NAO） during 1951-2007 are investigated in this paper. The variability of wintertime precipitation is characterized by meridional displacement of its maximum center. Two precipitation re- gimes, with maximum centers located over the Yangtze and Pearl River basins, are identified via cluster analysis. Time-lagged analyses suggest that the two precipitation regimes are connected with the decaying phases of positive NAO （NAO＋） events of different amplitudes. A strong （medium） NAO＋ event is defined as one when the maximum amplitude of the NAO index exceeds 1.0 （in the range of 0.7-1.0） for at least 4 consecutive days and drops to less than 0.3 within 7 days following the peak index. After the peak of a strong NAO＋, southerly winds expand north- ward to the Yangtze River （about 30°N）, a northeast-southwest-tilted trough migrates to east of Lake Baikal, and cold air intrudes into central eastern China; thus, precipitation is strengthened over the Yangtze River basin where warm and cold air masses converge. In comparison, during the decaying phase of medium NAO＋ events, the south- erly winds are relatively weak, and precipitation tends to be enhanced at lower latitudes （around 25°N）. Further ana- lysis indicates that downstream Rossby-wave propagation may account for the latitudinal expansion of the southerly wind anomalies over the eastern coastal area of China during the decaying phase of NAO＋ events of different strengths.