Interannual Variability of Winter-to-Spring Circulation Transition over Southern China and Its Surrounding Areas and Mechanisms

The climatological features and interannual variation of winter-to-spring transition over southern China and its surrounding areas, and its possible mechanisms are examined in this study. The climatological mean winter-to-spring transition is approximately in mid-March over southern China and the northern South China Sea. During the transition stage, anomalous southwest winds prevail at low-level over southern China and its nearby regions with enhanced convergence center over southern China, bringing more moisture from the Bay of Bengal (BOB) and the South China Sea (SCS) to southern China; meanwhile, the upper level is characterized by an obvious divergence wind pattern over southern China to the southwest part of Japan and enhanced upward motion. All the change of circulation is favorable to an increase of precipitation over southern China after seasonal transition. The winter-to-spring transition is predominantly on the interannual variation over southern China and the northern SCS. Early winter-to-spring transitions may induce more precipitation over southern China in spring, especially in March, while late cases will result in less precipitation. The interannual variability of the winter-to-spring transition and the related large-scale circulation are closely associated with the decaying phase of ENSO events. The warm ENSO events contribute to early winter-to-spring transitions and more precipitation over southern China.