Gao et al. (2026) Comprehensive characteristics of extreme precipitation events in China: An event-oriented analysis based on hourly precipitation observation

Identification

• Journal: Weather and Climate Extremes
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-07-10
• Authors: Yuan Gao, Shenming Fu, Zhenguo Wang, Jian Ling, Jian-Hua Sun, Tian-Bao Zhao
• DOI: 10.1016/j.wace.2026.100935

Research Groups

• National Key Laboratory of Earth System Numerical Modeling and Application, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
• University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
• Laboratory of Cloud–Precipitation Physics and Severe Storms, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
• Research Institute of State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Company, Hangzhou, China
• Key Laboratory of Regional Climate-Environment Research for East Asia, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Short Summary

This study presents a comprehensive event-based analysis of extreme precipitation events (EPEs) across China using 43 years of hourly rain-gauge observations. The results show that approximately 50.4% of station-level extremes are embedded within organized, propagating systems, with this proportion exceeding 70% in North China and the Yangtze River Basin.

Objective

• Investigate the characteristics and lifecycle evolution of extreme precipitation events (EPEs) across China using an event-oriented analysis framework.
• Quantify the contribution of systematic EPEs to total frequency and precipitation amount.
• Examine the relationship between large-scale environmental conditions and EPE occurrence.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: National scale, covering all provinces in China.
• Temporal Scale: 43 years (1981–2023) of hourly rain-gauge observations.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: None mentioned in the paper.
• Data sources: Hourly precipitation data from 2,419 meteorological stations across China for the period 1951–2023.

Main Results

• Approximately 50.4% of station-level extremes are embedded within organized, propagating systems.
• Systematic EPEs account for more than 70% of total SEPE frequency in North China and the Yangtze River Basin.
• Non-systematic EPEs occur most often in eastern China, along the border between Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, and in western Hubei.
• Systematic EPEs exhibit higher intensity distributions compared to non-systematic events.

Contributions

• This study provides a long-term, nationwide, rain-gauge-based benchmark for understanding the organization, propagation, and lifecycle evolution of extreme precipitation systems in China.
• The results highlight the importance of considering systematic EPEs when assessing the impact of extreme precipitation on regional climate and hydrology.

Funding

• National Key Laboratory of Earth System Numerical Modeling and Application, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. 2017YFJH0501000)
• University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. 2020ZC0011)
• State Grid Corporation of China (Grant No. SGCC2020003)

Citation

@article{Gao2026Comprehensive,
  author = {Gao, Yuan and Fu, Shenming and Wang, Zhenguo and Ling, Jian and Sun, Jian-Hua and Zhao, Tian-Bao},
  title = {Comprehensive characteristics of extreme precipitation events in China: An event-oriented analysis based on hourly precipitation observation},
  journal = {Weather and Climate Extremes},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.wace.2026.100935},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wace.2026.100935}
}