Author(s)

Yan Chen^1*, Shichang Guo², Yu Liu³, Jianhua Ju¹, Juzhang Ren¹

¹Yunnan Institute of Meteorological Sciences, Kunming, China.
²Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.
³Yunnan Climate Center, Kunming, China.

Based on an analysis of the circulation in May associated with the interannual variation of the onset of Yunnan’s rainy season, this study examined the rela-tionship between Arctic Oscillation (AO) and the onset timing of the rainy sea-son by using the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis and observational precipitation data for 1961-2010. The results indicated that, on an interannual time scale, intense Asian summer monsoon and an active EU-pattern wave train circulation in its positive phase, associated with a cold cyclonic cell covering the western part of the East Asian subtropical westerly jet (EASWJ), jointly contributed to the onset of the rainy season in May. Otherwise, the onset might be suppressed. The cold cyclonic cell over East Asia likely led to the southward shift and enhancement of EASWJ as well as its secondary circulation around the jet entrance, which could provide a favorable dynamic and thermal condition for rainfalls in Yunnan as was revealed in previous studies on 10 - 30-day time scale. Further examination showed that the preceding wintertime AO played a significant role in the timing of the onset of the rainy season before the mid-1980s’ by mostly modulating the wave-train-like circulation over East Asia in May. During that time period, when the AO index of the previous winter was positive (negative), Yunnan’s rainy season tended to begin earlier (later) than normal. Correspond-ingly, the precipitation in May was also closely linked to wintertime AO.

Onset of Yunnan’s Rainy Season, East Asian Subtropical Westerly Jet (EASWJ), Arctic Oscillation (AO), Interannual Variation

Chen, Y. , Guo, S. , Liu, Y. , Ju, J. and Ren, J. (2017) Interannual Variation of the Onset of Yunnan’s Rainy Season and Its Relationships with the Arctic Oscillation of the Preceding Winter. Atmospheric and Climate Sciences, 7, 210-222. doi: 10.4236/acs.2017.72015.