Abstract:  A census survey was done using the FY-2C infrared cloud imageries with once every 30 minutes interval from May 1, 2005 to September 30, 2008. The variations of the mesoscale convective complex (MCC) in Northeast China were analyzed based on the amended MCC standards. The results show that there are 22 MCCs during the census survey in Northeast China and 19 of them appear in July or August. The source region of MCCs is of the significantly regional characters, and the generation of MCC is related to the terrains of Daxinganling mountain, while few MCCs are found in Liaoning province and the east of Jilin province. The average life time is 9.3 hours in the Northeast China which is shorter than that in America and the South China, while the scales under -52 ℃ or under -32 ℃ in the Northeast China are all greater than that in the above two regions. The nocturnalism of MCCs is significant in the Northeast China. Among them, 85 % of MCCs generates during afternoon to evening, and its convective frequent period is from 15:00 to 24:00.

Key words: Northeast China, Mesoscale convective complex (MCC), Life cycle, Source region, Nocturnalism