Uplift Mechanism of Coastal Extremely Persistent Heavy Rainfall (EPHR): The Key Role of Low‐Level Jets and Ageostrophic Winds in the Boundary Layer

• Published in: Geophysical research letters 2022-04, Vol.49 (8), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Huang, Xiaogang, Zhang, Chi, Fei, Jianfang, Cheng, Xiaoping, Ding, Juli, Liu, Haisheng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ageostrophic winds; Air flow; Asymptotic properties; Atmospheric precipitations; Boundary layers; Coastal plains; Coastal zone; Convergence; Divergence; Forecasting; Geostrophic wind; Geostrophic winds; Heavy rainfall; Lower atmosphere; Precipitation; Rain; Rainfall; Rainfall area; Uplift; Wind; Winds
• ISSN: 0094-8276; 1944-8007
• DOI: 10.1029/2021GL096029

Extremely persistent heavy rainfall (EPHR) events frequently occur in southern China. The mechanisms underlying their generation and development are not well understood, and this leads to difficulties in accurately forecasting these events. In this paper, hourly precipitation grid data and ERA‐5 reanalysis data are used to examine the relationships between precipitation, ageostrophic winds, and low‐level jets (LLJ). The results suggest that ageostrophic winds in the boundary layer mainly exhibit confrontational and asymptotic convergence, with the former being accompanied by double LLJ, which transport more vapor and provide favorable uplift conditions, thus producing stronger precipitation and wider rainbands. The different cooperated relationships between LLJ and ageostrophic winds play an important role in the development of EPHR events, and greater account needs to be taken of these relationships when forecasting. Plain Language Summary Coastal extremely persistent heavy rainfall (EPHR), long‐duration heavy rainfall in local coastal area, occurs frequently in Southern China, and this kind of rainfall is usually accompanied by southwesterly in the lower atmosphere, which we call as the southwest low‐level jet. Generally, the occurrence and development of rainfall is accompanied by the convergence of the lower air flow. Since the divergence of the geostrophic wind component of the wind field is zero, the convergence situation is characterized by the ageostrophic wind component, which doesn't satisfy the geostrophic balance. In this type of coastal EPHR accompanied by the Southwest Jet, the ageostrophic wind is mainly manifested in two different convergence situations. One is that the ageostrophic wind presents several opposite branches of directions presenting a confrontational pattern around the rainfall area, and the other is an asymptotic convergence in which two similar wind directions, such as northeasterly and southeasterly, gradually converge to the rain area. The former has stronger lower‐level uplift, greater precipitation and wider rain bands, while the latter is relatively weak. This is an interesting phenomenon, of which the specific mechanisms need to be further studied. Key Points About 74% of extremely persistent heavy rainfall cases along the coast of southern China are accompanied by southwest jets in the marine boundary layer Ageostrophic winds mainly exhibit confrontational and asymptotic convergence, and the former is accompanied by d