Observed trends in extreme precipitation events in China during 1961–2001 and the associated changes in large‐scale circulation

Abstract

The observed trends in extreme precipitation events, and those in annual and seasonal mean precipitation in China during 1961–2001 are analyzed. The results show that the annual mean precipitation increases significantly in southwest, northwest, and east China, and decreases significantly in central, north and northeast China. The increasing trends in east China occurred mainly in summer, while the decreasing trends in central, north, and northeast China occurred in both spring and autumn. The increasing trends in most of northwest China occurred in all seasons. Patterns of the trends in extreme daily precipitation events are similar to those in the annual and seasonal mean precipitation except in the northwest China where most areas show increasing trends in extreme events only in summer. The extreme precipitation events in the Yangtze River basin increased dramatically by 10%–20% every 10 years in summer, consistent with the increasing trends in summer mean precipitation in the region. The circulation over East Asia shows a weakening trend in the summer monsoon over central‐east China.