On the Two Successive Supercold Waves Straddling the End of 2020 and the Beginning of 2021

Two supercold waves straddling 2020 and 2021 successively hit China and caused record-breaking extremely low temperatures. In this study, the distinct features of these two supercold waves are analyzed on the medium-range time scale. The blocking pattern from the Kara Sea to Lake Baikal characterized the first cold wave, while the large-scale tilted ridge and trough over the Asian continent featured the second cold wave. Prior to the cold waves, both the northwest and hyperpolar paths of cold air contributed to a zonally extensive cold air accumulation in the key region of Siberia. This might be the primary reason why strong and extensive supercold waves occur even under the Arctic amplification background. The two cold waves straddling 2020 and 2021 exhibited distinct features: (1) the blocking circulation occurred to the north or the east of the Ural Mountains and was not confined only to the Ural Mountains as it was for the earlier cold waves; (2) the collocation of the Asian blocking pattern and the polar vortex deflection towards East Asia preferred the hyperpolar path of cold air accumulation and the subsequent southward outburst; and (3) both high- and low-frequency processes worked in concert, leading to the very intense cold waves. The cold air advance along the northwest path, which coincides with the southeastward intrusion of the Siberian High (SH) front edge, is associated with the high-frequency process, while the cold air movement along the hyperpolar path, which is close to the eastern edge of the SH, is controlled by the low-frequency process.

Automated summary

This study analyzes the distinct features of two supercold waves that hit China in 2020 and 2021 and finds their association with the accumulation of cold air in Siberia under the Arctic amplification background, as well as the impact of different blocking circulations and the collision of the Asian blocking pattern with the polar vortex deflection towards East Asia.