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Luo, Y., R. Xia, and J. C. L. Chan, 2020: Characteristics, physical mechanisms, and prediction of pre-summer rainfall over South China: research progress during 2008-2019. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan, 98, 19-42.
https://doi.org/10.2151/jmsj.2020-002
Graphical Abstract with highlights

Plain Language Summary: Pre-summer rainy season (April to mid-June) over South China is characterized by high intensity and frequent occurrence of heavy rainfall in the East Asian monsoon region. This review describes recent progress in the research related to such a phenomenon, including the temporal and spatial characteristics of the rainfall, new insights into the relevant multiscale processes governing initiation and development of rainstorms, and convection-permitting modeling studies aiming at improving the quantitative precipitation forecast skill.

Highlights:

• Average rainfall distribution, diurnal variation of rainfall, and climatology of extreme hourly precipitation are described including a comparison before and after the monsoon onset over South China Sea.
• Association between the heavy rainfall and multi-scale factors, such as SSTs over tropical oceans, synoptic disturbances, mesoscale processes, and microphysical features, are discussed.
• NWP studies summarized include data-assimilation impact studies, evaluation and improvement of cloud microphysics parameterizations, and development of ensemble forecast technique.