Seasonal climatology of cut-off lows and associated precipitation patterns over Northeast China

Cut-off lows (COLs) are significantly associated with many convective events and anomalous regional climate in the Northeast China. By using 49-year NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data, COL events are detected and tracked by an objective and automatic method based on synoptic concept model. Based on this dataset and daily rain-gauge records in Northeast China during 1979–2005, seasonal climatology of COLs and associated precipitation patterns over Northeast China are investigated. Most COLs have a short lifetime of less than a week and have a spatial size ranging from 500 to 1,000 km, with slight seasonal differences. Temporal variation of COL occurrence exhibits a seasonal cycle, with a peak in summer, and considerable interannual variability. The COLs tend to occur more frequently over the northern Northeast China Plain, and the center for maximum frequency shows a zonal oscillation, with an extension to continent in summer and a shift to western North Pacific coast in winter. Most COLs form to the east of Lake Baikal and decay over the western North Pacific coast. COLs are apt to move along east or southeast passages around the year, and tracks are relatively more complicated in warm seasons. About a quarter of annual mean precipitation over Northeast China is associated with COLs. Moreover, COL-associated precipitation contributes greatly to total precipitation in northern and northwestern parts of Northeast China, and the ratios of COL contribution are stronger during spring and autumn than in summer.