Temporal and Spatial Distribution of Heavy Rain in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Huanghe River

Abstract

The Huanghe River (Yellow River) is the second largest river in China. It rises in the northern foot hills of Ba Yan Ke La mountain of the Qingzang Plateau, and flows through nine provinces — Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, Neimonggol, Shanxi, Shaaxi, Henan, Shandong and at last into the Bohai Sea (Chinese Acad, of Sci., 1981). It can be divided into three parts. The upper reach of the Huanghe River is in the Qingzang Plateau, over 3,000 meters above sea level. The middle reach is in the Loess Plateau, about 1,000–2,000 meters above sea level. The lower reach is in the plain of North China. In general, the channel of the Huanghe River is divided into the upper reach: River head — Liujia gorge, middle reach: Liujia gorge — Huayuankou, lower reach: Huayuankou — downstream. For practical purposes and convenience of investigation, the area covered in this paper extends to the north of the Yinshan and Yanshan Mountains, south to the Qingling Mountains — the Huaihe River, west to Liujia gorge, and east to the Bohai Sea.