Corresponding Relation between Warm Season Precipitation Extremes and Surface Air Temperature in South China

Abstract

Hourly data of 42 rain gauges over South China during 1966–2005 were used to analyze the corresponding relation between precipitation extremes and surface air temperature in the warm season (May to October). The results show that below 25°C, both daily and hourly precipitation extremes in South China increase with rising temperature. More extreme events transit to the two-time Clausius-Clapeyron (CC) relationship at lower temperatures. Daily as well as hourly precipitation extremes have a decreasing tendency nearly above 25°C, among which the decrease of hourly extremes is much more significant. In order to investigate the effects of rainfall durations, hourly precipitation extremes are presented by short duration and long duration precipitation, respectively. Results show that the dramatic decrease of hourly rainfall intensities above 25°C is mainly caused by short duration precipitation, and long duration precipitation extremes rarely occur in South China when surface air temperature surpasses 28°C. CitationSun, W., J. Li, and R.-C. Yu, 2013: Corresponding relation between warm season precipitation extremes and surface air temperature in South China. Adv. Clim. Change Res., 4(3), doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1248.2013.160.