The
meiyu front stretches from the
Tibetan Plateau to Japan along a confluent
jet stream that separates Arctic circulation to the north from tropical circulation to the south. During mid-spring to mid-summer, the upper circulation is typically west–east and the front is mostly stationary. Along this boundary,
mesoscale convective complexes (MCCs) or
mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) tend to form and propagate eastward, giving a series of heavy downpours. The system extracts moisture from the
South China Sea and sometimes the
Bay of Bengal. The low-level warm air is lifted by the
low level jet on the equator side of the
baroclinic zone. The deep vertical motion giving birth to organized MCCs/MCSs is especially strong when the low-level warm air enters the area situated beneath the jet entrance region aloft. ==See also==