Abstract
The present work investigated the large-scale background and possible causes of the rainstorm in Henan Province on 25–26 May 2013 using observational and numerical studies. The results indicated that this rainstorm was accompanied by widespread rainfall in China, especially Central China. The storm was caused by the eastward movement of the southwest vortex (SWV) and a strong low-level southwesterly jet, which brought adequate moisture from the Bay of Bengal and triggered a strong ascending motion. The main features of the daily rain belt and large-scale atmospheric circulation were well captured by the numerical simulation. Both observational and numerical results confirmed the essential role of the low-level southwesterly jet and its warm advection in the development and propagation of the SWV. Low-level warm advection guiding SWV propagation may provide a reference for forecasting rainfall induced by the SWV.
Highlights
Rainstorms, as one of the typical meteorological disasters in China, are usually accompanied by sudden and persistent gale and heavy rainfall and often cause great damage to the economy and human life (Tao 1980; Bao 2007; Ding 2014)
Using observational and reanalysis datasets and numerical simulation, the largescale background and possible causes related to rainstorms were studied in the present work
The results indicated that widespread rainfall in China accompanied the rainstorms from 24 to 26 May, especially in Central China
Summary
Rainstorms, as one of the typical meteorological disasters in China, are usually accompanied by sudden and persistent gale and heavy rainfall and often cause great damage to the economy and human life (Tao 1980; Bao 2007; Ding 2014). The southwest vortex (SWV) is known as an important heavy rainfall-producing mesoscale system (Wang et al 2012; Fu et al 2013). It is formed in the Sichuan Basin and has a great influence on rainfall variability over the middle–lower reaches of the Yangtze River Valley and even northern and southern China when it moves out of its origin location (Chen et al 2007; Wang et al 2007; Chen et al 2015).
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