Tropical cyclone over the western Pacific triggers the record-breaking ‘21/7’ extreme rainfall in Henan, central-eastern China

Abstract

During 19–21 July 2021, Henan located in central-eastern China experienced torrential rainfall that caused devastating floods and claimed more than 300 casualties. It remains unclear whether and to what extent this extreme precipitation event is contributed by Typhoon In-Fa (TIF). Here we quantify the contribution of TIF to this record-breaking ‘21/7’ rainfall using an air–sea coupled model with ensemble simulations. The modeling results show that the northwestward moisture transport along the confluence front of TIF and the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH) contribute mostly to the precipitation extremes across Henan. A sensitivity experiment that removes the TIF effect confirms TIF’s role in shaping extreme rainfall. Specifically, without TIF, WPSH shifts the moisture transport northeastward and causes a heavy rainband over the Korean Peninsula, with much less precipitation over Henan. The water vapor budget over Henan suggests that the TIF-induced moisture advection is nine times greater than the local moisture supply and is effectively converted into clouds therein to reinforce precipitation extremes. The contribution of TIF to the ‘21/7’ Henan torrential rainfall on average could be as large as 42% by comparing the differences between simulated results with and without TIF’s effects.

Keywords

• tropical cyclone
• ‘21/7’ extreme rainfall
• Typhoon In-Fa
• water vapor budget