Preceding features and relationship with possible affecting factors of persistent and extensive icing events in China

Abstract

As two major types of icing, rime and glaze, especially those with long persistency and extensive coverage, cause great economic and social damages for China. Based on 28 persistent and extensive rime events and 19 glaze events in China, this article examined their preceding features and relationship with large‐scale climate factors. The results show that the pronounced preceding signals for these events include the Ural and Okhotsk blocking highs, major East Asian trough, cold air actives, southwesterly moisture transportation and upper‐level jet stream. They intensify greatly 5–7 days ahead, indicating the forthcoming icing events and weaken significantly foretelling the ending of the events. Large‐scale climate factors such as negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation, strong Siberian high, La Niña background and low sea surface temperature from the tropical Indian Ocean to the tropical western Pacific favour the occurrence of glaze events in China by intensifying the East Asian winter monsoon and exciting the southward outbreak of cold airs. In the meantime, deep wintertime semi‐permanent trough in the southern branch of westerlies is crucial for the northward moisture transportation. However, only the low sea surface temperature from the tropical Indian Ocean to the tropical western Pacific and the deep wintertime semi‐permanent trough in the southern branch of westerlies are significantly related to the occurrence of rime events in China. Although weak Australian low and strong western Pacific subtropical high also favour water vapour transportation, they are observed only during a small portion of icing events.

Possible Role of Hadley Circulation Strengthening in Interdecadal Intensification of Snowfalls Over Northeastern China Under Climate Change

“…Numerous researches have also been devoted to understanding causes and associated physical mechanisms of the occurrence of intense snowfalls in China (e.g., Ding et al, ; D. H. Wang et al, ; Gao, ; Ji et al, ; Lu et al, ; Sun et al, ; Wang & Ding, ; Wang et al, , ; Wen et al, ; Xie et al, ; Yang et al, ; Zhang et al, ). Those studies have well documented some influential large‐scale atmospheric circulation systems, such as the persistent Ural blocking high and the transverse trough from the Lake Baikal to the Lake Balkhash (Ding et al, ; D. H. Wang et al, ), the strengthening of both the western Pacific subtropical high and the India‐Burma trough (Ji et al, ; Yang et al, ; Zhang et al, ), the intensifying and southeastward shifting of the Middle East jet stream (Wen et al, ), the increasing of the stratospheric polar vortex disturbance (Gao, ; Lu et al, ), the negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation (D. H. Wang et al, ; Lu et al, ; Sun et al, ), and the positive phase of the Antarctic Oscillation (Sun et al, ).…”

“…Numerous researches have also been devoted to understanding causes and associated physical mechanisms of the occurrence of intense snowfalls in China (e.g., Ding et al, 2008;D. H. Wang et al, 2009;Gao, 2009;Ji et al, 2008;Lu et al, 2016;Sun et al, 2009;Wang & Ding, 1995;Wang et al, 2017Wang et al, , 2011Wen et al, 2009;Xie et al, 2010;Yang et al, 2008;Zhang et al, 2012). Those studies have well documented some influential large-scale atmospheric circulation systems, such as the persistent Ural blocking high and the transverse trough from the Lake Baikal to the Lake Balkhash (Ding et al, 2008;D.…”

Comparison of two severe low‐temperature snowstorm and ice freezing events in China: Role of Eurasian mid‐high latitude circulation patterns

“…Glaze is primarily distributed along and to the south of the Yangtze River valley, while rime is mainly observed in scattered locations to the north of the Yangtze River valley. Climatologically, the number of annual mean glaze and rime days ranges from 1 to 5 days in most regions and exceeds 5 days in a few locations with special terrains, such as high mountain and leeward slopes (Wang et al ., , ). During the 2008 event, the glaze persisted for up to 15 days at 114 stations south of the Yangtze River valley (Figure c).…”

“…A strong EAWM typically features a strong Siberian high and surface northerlies (Ding and Krishnamurti, ). Due to the influence of intensified northerly airflows, cold air moves southward from the polar region and causes a dramatic drop in temperature, chilly weather, snowstorms and ice freezing, which can result in great economic losses and adverse social impacts (Chang and Lun, ; Ding, ; Zhang et al ., ; Huang et al ., ; Bueh et al ., ; Wang et al ., ; Li and Wang, ; Wang and Chen, ; Lu et al ., ; Wang et al ., ). Thus, the variability in cold‐related extreme events has been highly concerning (e.g., Jeong and Ho, ; Ding et al ., ; Wen et al ., ; Sun et al ., ; Wang et al ., ; Zhou et al ., , , ; Wang et al ., ; Shi et al ., ; Sun et al ., ).…”

Decadal variations of the East Asian winter monsoon in recent decades

“…The East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) is one of the most active atmospheric circulation systems in the boreal winter (Wang and Fan, ). Based on the previous studies, the EAWM has great impacts on the weather and climate over East Asia, including strong cold events and snowstorms (Wang et al ., ; Zhou et al ., , ; Wang and Zhou, ). For instance, the strengthened Siberian high‐induced northerly cold advections and played an essential role in enhancing the snowfall events in central eastern China in January 2018 (Sun et al ., ).…”