An analysis of the drought and flood hazard characteristics and risks during the pre-rainy season in South China

Based on the daily precipitation data provided by the National Meteorological Information Center recorded at 89 representative stations in South China, as well as the reanalyzed monthly average 850-hPa wind field and sea surface temperature (SST) data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction and the National Center for Atmospheric Research between 1969 and 2008, we studied the inter-annual variations and the causes of flood and drought hazards during the pre-rainy season in South China. Moreover, we assessed the hazard risks. The results indicate the following. (1) Most areas in Guangdong, the north and southwest of Guangxi, and the junction of Jiangxi and Fujian are at high risk of severe flooding. (2) The inter-annual variations of the pre-rainy season flood and drought hazards are evident in South China; specifically, consistent anomalies exist in Guangdong, Guangxi, central and north Fujian, and central and south Jiangxi. An inverse distribution of anomalies occurred in central and south Guizhou. Since the 1990s, inter-annual drought and flood hazards have accrued, particularly in south Guangxi, the southern and northern regions of Guangdong, and the north and central of Fujian where the risk of severe drought and flood is high. (3) The El-Nio-Southern-Oscillation-like (ENSO-like) SST anomaly and the corresponding atmospheric circulation anomaly are the major causes of the inter-annual variation of the pre-rainy season drought and flood hazards in South China. From the preceding winter to the pre-rainy season, the ENSO-like positive (negative) SST anomaly regulates the South China Sea and western Pacific anti-cyclonic (cyclonic) airflow to control the South China Sea. This effect increases (or decreases) the warm, humid vapor input in South China and causes severe pre-rainy season floods (or droughts) hazards in South China. It should be noted that because of the asymmetry in the anomalous local low-level circulation and the rainfall patterns, the floods and droughts hazards region in South China are also asymmetry between El Nio and La Nia.