Climate state of the Three Gorges Region in the Yangtze River basin in 2022–2023

Abstract

Based on daily observation data of the Three Gorges Region (TGR) of the Yangtze River basin and global reanalysis data, the climate characteristics, climate events, and meteorological disasters of the TGR in 2022 and 2023 were analyzed. For the TGR, the average annual temperature for 2022 and 2023 was 0.8°C and 0.4°C higher than normal, respectively, making them the two warmest years in the past decade. In 2022, the TGR experienced its warmest summer on record. The average air temperature was 2.4°C higher than the average, and there were 24.8 days of above-average high temperature days during summer. Rainfall in the TGR varied significantly between 2022 and 2023. Annual rainfall was 18.4% below normal and drier than normal in most parts of the region. In contrast, the precipitation in 2023 was considerably higher than the long-term average, and above normal for almost the entire year. The average wind speed exhibited minimal variation between the two years. However, the number of foggy days and relative humidity increased in 2023 compared to 2022. In 2022–2023, the TGR mainly experienced meteorological disasters such as extreme high temperatures, regional heavy rain and flooding, overcast rain, and inverted spring chill. Analysis indicates that the abnormal western Pacific subtropical high and the abnormal persistence of the eastward-shifted South Asian high were the two important drivers of the durative enhancement of record-breaking high temperature in the summer of 2022.