The Synoptic Characteristics of Icing Events on Transmission Lines in Southern China

Abstract

This study utilizes the ECMWF ERA5 climate reanalysis database and data from the Southern China Transmission Lines Icing Observation System and applies the T-mode principal component analysis, an objective synoptic pattern classification method, to investigate synoptic characteristics associated with transmission line icing events in southern China between 2014 and 2021. The findings reveal that Southern China’s winter synoptic conditions can be categorized into four patterns, with the predominant pattern featuring a centrally located 850 hPa high-pressure system in Inner Mongolia’s western region. This pattern facilitates the convergence of northwesterly cold air from the north and southwesterly moisture from the south over southern China, resulting in balanced conditions conducive to transmission line icing. Furthermore, during a specific icing event in Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province, in February 2022, the atmospheric stratification exhibited a distinctive “cold–warm–cold” structure with a pronounced inversion layer, characteristic of freezing and rainy weather conditions that create the requisite environment for transmission line icing. Within the dominant icing synoptic pattern, a northwesterly airflow transports cold air from central Siberia to southern China, accompanied by two primary low-level water vapor transport pathways: one originating as a southwest low-level jet carrying moisture from the Bay of Bengal to the Chinese mainland, and the other stemming from the South China Sea. These findings provide valuable insights into the synoptic conditions contributing to transmission line icing events in the region.

Keywords

• icing events
• T-mode principal component analysis
• atmospheric stratification
• synoptic characteristics