The South China Sea summer monsoon is an important system affecting the weather and climate in China; its outbreak and evolution vary from year to year.Using the reanalysis data from the U.S.National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) and outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),USA,we analyze the circulation pattern,precipitation distribution,convection,temperature,and humidity around the monsoon outbreaks in 2004 and 2008.Results show that the monsoon had a late onset in 2004 (May 19) but an early outbreak in 2008 (May 4).Prior to the monsoon outbreak in 2008,cross-equatorial flows in Somalia were weaker than in 2004,subtropical precipitation did not arrive in southern China as it did in 2004,and the strongest convection was located more southward than in 2004.The results also indicate that accumulated rainfall in the Indochina Peninsula was about 61% of that in 2004 during a period of 25 days leading up to the monsoon outbreak,causing differences in land surface processes and then different activity levels for the summer monsoon.Post-onset warm and humid conditions in 2008 (2004) maintained through the end of October (mid-September),while the summer monsoon lasted longer in 2008 than in 2004.