Sensitivity Analysis of the Super Heavy Rainfall Event in Henan on 20 July (2021) Using ECMWF Ensemble Forecasts

An unprecedented heavy rainfall event occurred in Henan Province, China, during the period of 1200 UTC 19 -1200 UTC 20 July 2021 with a record of 522 mm accumulated rainfall. Zhengzhou, the capital city of Henan, received 201.9 mm of rainfall in just one hour on the day. In the present study, the sensitivity of this event to atmospheric variables is investigated using the ECMWF ensemble forecasts. The sensitivity analysis first indicates that a local YellowHuai River low vortex (YHV) in the southern part of Henan played a crucial role in this extreme event. Meanwhile, the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH) was stronger than the long-term average and to the west of its climatological position. Moreover, the existence of a tropical cyclone (TC) In-Fa pushed into the peripheral of the WPSH and brought an enhanced easterly flow between the TC and WPSH channeling abundant moisture to inland China and feeding into the YHV. Members of the ECMWF ensemble are selected and grouped into the GOOD and the POOR groups based on their predicted maximum rainfall accumulations during the event. Some good members of ECMWF ensemble Prediction System (ECMWF-EPS) are able to capture good spatial distribution of the heavy rainfall, but still underpredict its extremity. The better prediction ability of these members comes from the better prediction of the evolution characteristics (i.e., intensity and location) of the YHV and TC In-Fa. When the YHV was moving westward to the south of Henan, a relatively strong southerly wind in the southwestern part of Henan converged with the easterly flow from the channel wind between In-Fa and WPSH. The convergence and accompanying ascending motion induced heavy precipitation.