Summer Precipitation Extremes over the Yellow River Loop Valley and Its link to European Blocking

Abstract

Characteristics of extreme precipitation over Yellow River Loop Valley (YRLV) and links to European blocking are investigated in this study. Spatial and temporal analysis of extreme precipitation shows that it contributes more than 30% of the total summer precipitation in the YRLV and is characterized by a strong and short period of local rainfall. Most of the extreme rains in the YRLV occur in July and August. Two typical circulation patterns were identified using a k-means clustering method. The extreme precipitation results from the combined actions of intensified high pressure over northeast China (NECH) and the westward extension of the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH). The intensified southerly flow of the amplified NECH strengthens the water vapor transport induced by the westward extension of the WPSH from the northwest Pacific or Bay of Bengal into the YRLV. The NECH is amplified by the wave energy propagating from European blocking via the Silk Road pattern (SRP). This is the subseasonal cause of extreme precipitation over the YRLV. The composited July and August mean 500 hPa geopotential anomaly pattern for extreme precipitation years shows a high-pressure anomaly over the European continent and a negative phase of the SRP. The former provides a background for the occurrence of European blocking, and the latter explains the preexistence of the NECH and provides a linkage between the activity of European blocking and the subseasonal evolution of the NECH. Thus, the interannual variation in the extreme precipitation over the YRLV is mainly reflected by the phase of the SRP and the stationary waves over Europe.

Keywords

• summer extreme precipitation
• blocking
• Yellow River Loop Valley
• semiarid region