Abstract
The distribution and diurnal variation of short-duration heavy rainfall (SDHR) and the influence of a complex underlying surface were studied by using fine-scale hourly precipitation data in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region during the summers of 2014–2020. Areas prone to SDHR are located mainly in the southern foothills of the Yanshan Mountains, the foothills area, and the trumpet-shaped topographic entrance area north of Beijing, areas inland of the west coast of Bohai Bay, and the northern Beijing urban area. Owing to the influence of topography and the geographical location, the distribution and diurnal variation SDHR is significantly different in the western and northern mountainous areas, the foothills, and the plains. Compared to the underlying urban surface, the topography and the land–sea interface have considerable effects on the distribution of SDHR. A key finding is that the foothills of northern of Beijing, eastern slope and piedmont area of the Taihang Mountains, and the land–sea interface of Bohai Bay play important roles in the formation and propagation of SDHR.
Highlights
Short-duration heavy rainfall (SDHR), which is the characteristic of strong convective weather, can cause flooding and can have adversary effects on traffic in urban areas
Miyun, and Pinggu districts in the northwest and northeast of Beijing and the northern and northeastern areas of Tangshan City in northeastern Hebei are all located in the southern foothills of the Yanshan Mountains
The significant influence of the complex underlying surface on the temporal and spatial characteristics of SDHR and the diurnal variation is revealed by using fine-scale hourly precipitation data in BTH during the summers of 2014–2020, whose temporal and spatial observation resolution is much higher to capture rainfall
Summary
Short-duration heavy rainfall (SDHR), which is the characteristic of strong convective weather, can cause flooding and can have adversary effects on traffic in urban areas. SDHR is closely related to the occurrence of disasters such as flash floods, debris flows, and landslides. It represents one of the focuses of strong convective weather prediction. Davis et al (2001) [1] showed that precipitation of ≥20 mm h−1 in the United States is likely to cause flash flood disasters. Brooks et al (2000) [2] analyzed SDHR processes within a 3 h timescale in the United States and found that the distribution of SDHR was very similar to that of flash flood events. Li et al (2017) [4] performed statistical analysis of SDHR in the warm season in Beijing and showed that the frequency of rainstorm days with SDHR events (defined as 50 mm day−1) accounts for more than 50% of that of total rainstorm days over the Beijing plains and near the northeast mountains
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