Warming of the Kuroshio Current Over the Last Four Decades has Intensified the Meiyu‐Baiu Rainband.

In recent decades, rise of sea surface temperature (SST) in the Kuroshio region of the East China Sea (ECS), which is associated with global warming, has attracted considerable attention. Despite its relevance to air‐sea interaction phenomena, the atmospheric consequences of this SST increase remain largely unexplored. Using the ERA5 reanalysis data set in conjunction with a moisture budget analysis, we found that during 1979–2022, warming in the ECS‐Kuroshio has contributed to the intensification of the East Asian Meiyu‐Baiu rainband in June. This intensification is attributed to augmented wind convergence in the low‐level free troposphere (950–700 hPa). Importantly, the atmospheric responses to ECS‐Kuroshio warming penetrated the deep troposphere (to approximately 300 hPa), suggesting an enhancement of deep convection. Furthermore, ECS‐Kuroshio warming likely strengthened the overlying atmospheric low pressure, resulting in wind convergence enhancement. The findings clarified the important role of the ECS‐Kuroshio in driving East Asian climate change amid global warming. Plain Language Summary: In response to global warming, East Asian summer precipitation is increasing along with an increase in extreme precipitation events, which poses a significant threat to agriculture and economic development. Understanding the mechanisms underlying the increased precipitation trend in East Asia is crucial for sustainable human development in this region. The findings of this study revealed that East Asian precipitation induced by the Meiyu‐Baiu rainband has intensified continuously during the past four decades, particularly in the marine areas around the East China Sea (ECS) and the south of Japan. We further established that the continuous increase in sea surface temperature over the Kuroshio in the ECS, which was related to global warming, strengthened the atmospheric low‐pressure system overlying the current, contributing to an increase in rainfall around the ECS. The findings of this study highlighted the important role of the Kuroshio Current in influencing climate change in East Asia. Key Points: The Meiyu‐Baiu rainband in June intensified over the marine areas around the Kuroshio and south of Japan during 1979–2022The intensified Meiyu‐Baiu rainband was caused mainly by the wind convergence accompanied by enhanced deep convectionKuroshio warming in the East China Sea likely intensified the Meiyu‐Baiu rainband by a pressure adjustment mechanism [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]