Sub-seasonal Modulation of Indian Summer Monsoon Seasonal Predictability

Abstract:

Recent studies have demonstrated that the Indian Summer Monsoon is more predictable during the early and late stages of the season, with a drop in rainfall predictability during the core monsoon months of July and August. Various theories have been advanced for this sub-seasonal evolution, but its origins are still poorly understood. We use a new 0.25-degree 1901-2014 daily rainfall dataset from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) to investigate this phenomenon at near-local scale, using more than a century of data. The analysis is based on daily rainfall characteristics, including the spatial coherence of sub-seasonal rainfall anomalies, and on relating these to large-scale moisture variables computed from reanalysis data.

Indian summer monsoon rainfall is partitioned into three sub-seasonal phases, with a steep ramp-up (June), persistent core (July–August), and a slower decay phase (Sept–Oct). Spatial coherence of sub-seasonal rainfall anomalies is shown to be highest during the onset and decay phases with a marked mark drop during the core phase. Systematic shifts in seasonal timing are found to typify rainfall anomalies during the onset and decay phases, with ENSO preferentially impacting the latter. We identify a large-scale low-level moisture threshold as a necessary condition for local daily rainfall occuring at >5% of spatial locations across monsoonal India. Sub-seasonal rainfall variability during the onset and decay phases is argued to be controlled largely by the crossing of this threshold. However, this necessary condition is generally easily met during the core season, at which time interannual variability in low-level moisture and interannual correlation between rainfall and large-scale ascent both decrease. This decrease in large-scale control and the loss of spatial coherence imply that sub-seasonal to seasonal rainfall variations at local scales during the core of the monsoon are largely a result of local-scale processes, and are thus inherently unpredictable. We conclude that the scope for skillful sub-seasonal to seasonal forecasts of Indian summer monsoon rainfall is likely to be much greater during the onset and decay phases, rather than during the core of the monsoon.