East Asian rainy season

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/east-asian-rainy-season

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the geographic extent?Encompasses major East Asian nations including China, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan
2. What is the typical duration?Approximately two months, occurring in late spring and early summer
3. What is the East Asian rainy season called and why?The season is called "Meiyu" or "plum rain" because the rains come when plums start to ripen.
4. Why does the Meiyu front cause so much rain?The front forms when warm, moist air from the Pacific Ocean meets cooler, drier air from the continent, creating a long‑lasting area of heavy rain.

Meiyu front: A persistent stationary front characterized by the convergence of contrasting air masses, driving the East Asian rainy season.
Plum rain: A culturally significant nickname for the East Asian rainy season, referencing its timing with plum ripening.
Subtropical ridge: A high-pressure system whose seasonal strengthening pushes the Meiyu front northward, concluding the rainy period.
Moisture advection: The transport of water vapor by wind from one region to another, crucial for fueling Meiyu rainfall.