Climate state of the Three Gorges Region in the Yangtze River basin in 2022–2023

Abstract

Based on daily observation data of the Three Gorges Region (TGR) of the Yangtze River basin and global reanalysis data, the climate characteristics, climate events, and meteorological disasters of the TGR in 2022 and 2023 were analyzed. For the TGR, the average annual temperature for 2022 and 2023 was 0.8 °C and 0.4 °C higher than normal, respectively, making them the two warmest years in the past decade. In 2022, the TGR experienced its warmest summer on record. The average air temperature was 2.4 °C higher than the average, and there were 24.8 days of above-average high temperature days during summer. Rainfall in the TGR varied significantly between 2022 and 2023. Annual rainfall was 18.4 % below normal and drier than normal in most parts of the region. In contrast, the precipitation in 2023 was considerably higher than the long-term average, and above normal for almost the entire year. The average wind speed exhibited minimal variation between the two years. However, the number of foggy days and relative humidity increased in 2023 compared to 2022. In 2022–2023, the TGR mainly experienced meteorological disasters such as extreme high temperatures, regional heavy rain and flooding, overcast rain, and inverted spring chill. Analysis indicates that the abnormal western Pacific subtropical high and the abnormal persistence of the eastward-shifted South Asian high were the two important drivers of the durative enhancement of record-breaking high temperature in the summer of 2022.

摘要

基于长江三峡地区观测资料和全球再分析资料, 分析了该地区 2022–2023年气候特征, 酸雨状况以及主要天气气候事件. 2022 年和2023年三峡地区平均气温分别较常年偏高0.8 °C和0.4 °C, 是近十年来最暖的两年, 特别是2022年夏季出现破记录极端高温; 2022年三峡地区降水量较常年偏少18.4 %, 2023年降水量转为偏多15.3 %. 在这两年中该地区主要出现了极端高温, 区域性暴雨洪涝, 连阴雨和倒春寒等气候事件. 分析表明, 西太平洋副热带高压和南亚高压协同异常是2022年夏季极端高温维持的两个重要因素.