Subtle Precipitation Characteristics in Beijing Area

Based on the hourly precipitation data from 123 automatic weather stations (AWS) during the period of 2007-2010 over Beijing area, the variations in summer precipitation amount, precipitation hours, and precipitation intensity of different categories were analyzed. Furthermore, the monthly precipitation characteristics from April to October were also studied. The results indicate that the AWS precipitation distribution in the summer of 2007-2010 is similar to the precipitation distribution from ordinary stations for the summer of 1978-2010. In summer, the center of the distribution of precipitation hours was located in the north and west mountainous area. The center of the most intensive hourly precipitation was located over an urban area and the northeast of Beijing. The shortly intensive precipitation is stronger in July than other months.