The impact of high-frequency atmospheric forcing on the Yellow Sea (YS) circulation with emphasis on the Yellow Sea Warm Current (YSWC) was investigated by comparing model simulations with and without high-frequency atmospheric processes. By including the high-frequency atmospheric forcing at the synoptic scale in an atmosphere reanalysis used to force the ocean model, the simulated intensity of the mean YSWC is increased by 40-100%. The mean temperature is decreased by up to 1°C, and the mean salinity along the YSWC pathway is increased by up to 0.2-0.5 psu. Additional simulations in which either the wind or other atmospheric fields were filtered revealed that the high-frequency wind forcing is more important in the YSWC and relates mean temperature with the other atmospheric variables that play relatively minor roles. In winter, the high-frequency wind forcing associated with frequent winter storm bursts and relaxation is able to excite coastal trapped waves propagating cyclonically around the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea coast; this forcing is a very important factor influencing the synoptic variability in the YSWC and drives intermittent warm and salty water intrusion into the southern YS. The results from this study provide a basis for a new understanding of how transient atmospheric phenomena, such as winter storms, impact regional circulation and water transport in the YS.