East Asian rainy season

The East Asian rainy season (Chinese and Japanese: 梅雨; pinyin: méiyǔ; rōmaji: tsuyu/baiu; Korean: 장마; romaja: jangma), also called the plum rain, is caused by precipitation along a persistent stationary front known as the Meiyu front for nearly two months during the late spring and early summer in East Asia between China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan.

8th century) of the Tang dynasty: 梅雨 南京犀浦道，四月熟黃梅。 湛湛長江去，冥冥細雨來。 茅茨疏易溼，雲霧密難開。 竟日蛟龍喜，盤渦與岸迴。 Plum rain On the Xipu road from the Southern Capital [present-day Chengdu], the fourth month ripens the yellow p[r]unus.

[1] Japan later adapted and transliterated the Chinese term "plum rain" to call the rainy season tsuyu (梅雨).

The term was originally spelled Dyangmah (댱맣) in 1500s, which was the mix of the hanja character 長 ("long") and the old native Korean word 맣 (mah, "rain").

[3] An east–west zone of disturbed weather during spring along this front stretches from the east China coast, initially across Taiwan and Okinawa, later, when it has shifted to the north, eastward into the southern peninsula of South Korea and Japan.

The front and the formation of frontal depressions along it brings precipitation to Primorsky Krai, Japan, Korea, eastern China, and Taiwan.

As the front moves back and forth depending on the strength of cool and warm air masses, there is often prolonged precipitation and sometimes flooding in eastern China.

The rainy season ends when the warm air mass associated with the subtropical ridge is strong enough to push the front north and away.

Beginning in late May, the North Pacific high pressure forces the weaker continental anticyclone south of Okinawa Island.

[citation needed] By early autumn, the North Pacific high-pressure system is pushed away as Asiatic continental cold high pressure moves southwards.