Low-Level Jets over Southeast China: The Warm Season Climatology of the Summer of 2003

The southwesterly low-level jet (LLJ) over southeast China in the summer of 2003 is analyzed in this study. The analysis is based on the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Final (FNL) operational global analysis data on 1.0 x 1.0-degree grids at 6-h intervals. The major criteria for choosing the LLJ included the following: a maximum wind speed equal to or greater than 12.0 m s(-1), a wind direction of between 180 degrees and 270 degrees, and the height of wind maximum at 900-700 hPa, not confined to single pressure level. The results show that the LLJs over southeast China dominate at 850 and 800 hPa. These LLJs are closely associated with the topography of this area and tend to locate regions with large terrain gradients, including the northeastern and eastern Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. Under the influence of mid-latitude westerly winds, the LLJs above 750 hPa move northward to the Yangtze-Huai River Basin. Compared to the ten-year (2000-2009) mean climate conditions, the LLJs in the warm season of summer 2003 were exceptionally active and strong, as reflected by the positive anomalies of LLJ occurrence numbers and wind speed. In addition, the 2003 LLJs showed strong diurnal variation, especially at pressure levels below 800 hPa. The majority of the LLJs appeared between midnight and the early morning hours (before 8 a. m.). Finally, the summary of LLJ grid numbers indicates that more than 80% of LLJs in June and July 2003 occurred within the 33-d rainy period. Thus, these LLJs are directly related to the anomalously heavy rainfall in the Yangtze-Huai River Basin.