Spatiotemporal Variability of Precipitation in Beijing, China during the Wet Seasons

To comprehensively evaluate the changes in precipitation patterns in the context of global climate change and urbanization, the spatiotemporal variability of precipitation during the wet seasons of 1981-2017 in Beijing was analyzed in this study using up-to-date daily and hourly precipitation data from observation stations. It was concluded that the average annual precipitation in wet seasons showed a downward trend, while the simple daily intensity index (SDII) showed an upward trend. Precipitation in the central urban area of Beijing showed obvious changes from 1981 to 2017; the average annual precipitation in the central urban area was almost as great as that in Miyun country after 2010, which was the storm center for the past three decades. The average annual maximum 3-h and 6-h precipitation in the 2010s was higher than the past three decades, especially in urban and suburban areas. In addition, the atmospheric circulation index, urbanization impact, and topography were all found to be important factors that affect the pattern of precipitation in Beijing.