Temporal and spatial variations of high-impact weather events in China during 1959–2014

Abstract

The variation and trend in the frequency and duration of four types of high-impact weather (HIW) events were examined using daily surface climate data and linear regression method, and results show that for both the frequency and the duration, the trends of hot weather events were not significant in most parts of China, though for the China as a whole, they had increased with rates of 0.4 days and 0.1 spells of hot weather per decade respectively. The frequency of cold weather events had decreased significantly in most parts of China, particularly in northern, northeastern, and western China, where it increased at rates of 2–8 days per decade in most stations, but the duration of cold weather events were not significant in most parts of China. The frequency of gale weather events had decreased in almost all of China, with a rate of 3.7 days per decade for the China as a whole, and the duration of gale weather events had decreased mainly in northeastern and northern China, western Xinjiang, southwestern Sichuan, and some coastal areas of Liaoning, Shandong, Zhejiang, and Fujian. The frequency of rainstorm weather events was not significant in most parts of China, and the duration of rainstorm weather events was not significant in the whole of China. With global climate change, there would be an increase in the hot and rainstorm weather events, so mitigation/adaptation strategies for such weather events are essential for local government and social public.