Climatology of lightning activity in South China and its relationships to precipitation and convective available potential energy

This study examined lightning activity and its relationship to precipitation and convective available potential energy(CAPE) in South China during 2001–12, based on data from the Guangdong Lightning Location System, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite, and the ERA-Interim dataset. Two areas of high lightning density are identified: one over the Pearl River Delta, and the other to the north of Leizhou Peninsula. Large peak-current cloud-to-ground(LPCCG) lightning(75 kA) shows weaker land–offshore contrasts than total CG lightning, in which negative cloud-to-ground(NCG) lightning occurs more prominently than positive cloud-to-ground(PCG) lightning on land. While the frequency of total CG lightning shows a main peak in June and a second peak in August, the LPCCG lightning over land shows only a single peak in June.The ratio of positive LPCCG to total lightning is significantly greater during February–April than during other times of the year. Diurnally, CG lightning over land shows only one peak in the afternoon, whereas CG lightning offshore shows morning and afternoon peaks. The rain yield per flash is on the order of 10~7–10~8kg per flash across the analysis region, and its spatial distribution is opposite to that of lightning density. Our data show that lightning activity over land is more sensitive than that over offshore waters to CAPE. The relationships between lightning activity and both precipitation and CAPE are associated with convection activity in the analysis region.     

Analyses of summer lightning activity and precipitation in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean

The lightning activity and precipitation in two 3-hour time intervals in the grid boxes of 0.25 × 0.25° over East and Central Mediterranean during the summer of 2005 and 2006 are analysed. The results show that the frequency distribution of the precipitation amount is shifted towards larger values for the cases with lightning as compared with the cases without lightning. It was found that the number of cases with 3-hour accumulated rainfall greater than 10 mm was bigger when lightning occurred (65%) than when it was absent (35%). Investigation of diurnal and spatial distributions of lightning shows that the afternoon flash density peak is associated mainly with lightning over the land, which is in accordance with the results of earlier works. The early morning flash density peak is associated mainly with flashes over the sea. High correlation coefficients (0.89 during the morning hours and 0.98 during afternoon) were found between rain rate (mm/h) and average flash density (fl/km²) when flash density is averaged in logarithmic intervals of rain rate.     

近30 a江苏夏季降水日变化的气候学特征

基于1980—2013年江苏省61站小时降水资料,分析了江苏省夏季降水日变化的特点及小时极端降水、不同级别雨日的日变化特征。结果表明,江苏省夏季降水日变化具有显著的双峰分布特征,然而江苏省北部和南部降水的主峰时段并不一致。从降水频次、累积降水量来看,江苏省北部降水以清晨至早上时段为主峰、午后至傍晚时段为次峰,南部降水与之相反。长持续性降水占夏季降水的2/3左右,且江苏北部占比多于南部,均为清晨至早上的单峰分布;短持续性降水占夏季降水的1/3,在江苏北部呈现出以午后至傍晚为主峰,清晨至早上为次峰的双峰分布,而在江苏南部呈现出以午后至傍晚的单峰分布特点。小时极端降水,阈值分布南低北高,虽然频次较少,但占夏季降水的40%左右。小时极端降水日变化的双峰分布和夏季总体降水分布类似,但主峰大都出现在午后至傍晚。不同级别雨日的日变化分布各有不同,但全省各区无显著差异。累积降水量贡献主要来自于暴雨和大雨。暴雨无论是从降水频次、累积降水量还是降水强度都呈现清晨至早上的单峰分布。     

中国大陆日降水峰值时间位相的区域特征分析

利用高密度的中国国家级地面气象站逐时降水数据,系统分析和比较了中国大陆地区暖季降水量、降水频次和降水强度的日变化峰值位相的整体特征、空间分布差异及典型区域平均的日变化演变特征。研究指出,中国大陆暖季降水日变化峰值时间主要表现为下午、清晨、夜间3类典型位相,且整体而言降水频次的清晨峰值更凸出,降水强度以下午峰值为主。综合考虑降水量和降水频次的日变化峰值位相,发现中国大陆地区降水日变化峰值位相在空间分布上存在7个典型区域:下午峰值区(东北至华北山区、东南内陆地区)、夜间峰值区(四川盆地西部至云贵高原东部、华北平原西部贴近山地的区域)和清晨峰值区(华北平原东部、秦巴山区至华中西南部)各两个,以及傍晚至夜间峰值位相的青藏高原区。各典型区域内部具有较一致的降水量和频次的日峰值时间位相,而区域边缘或交界处降水量和频次的峰值位相则相反,主要是降水量的下午主峰值时段与降水频次的清晨主峰值时段的错位。从降水量、降水频次和降水强度的日变化的演变特征来看,午后峰值区、夜间峰值区和青藏高原的傍晚至夜间峰值区的多数台站,都存在降水量位相滞后于降水强度而超前于降水频次的特征,这应是降水演变过程中时间演变不对称性和对流云系发展演变的具体表现。     

DIURNAL VARIATIONS OF SUMMER PRECIPITATION IN SHANGHAI

This paper investigates the diurnal variations of summer precipitation in Shanghai by using the city''s hourly precipitation data over a span of 35 years. The result shows that the precipitation peaks twice, in the morning and in the afternoon. Precipitation in the morning is characterized by light to moderate rain, and that in the afternoon by heavy to super heavy rain. The peak of short-duration precipitation is mostly found in the afternoon and at dusk, and that of long-duration precipitation in the morning. Most of the precipitation events in Shanghai are of a short duration of 2-3 hours. Basically, the precipitation is spatially distributed in three areas: the eastern coastal and central urban area, where the precipitation peaks mostly in the afternoon, the southern coastal area, where the precipitation peaks both in the afternoon and during the night, and the western area, where long-duration precipitation accounts for a much larger proportion than the other two areas.     

Impacts of the Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Oscillation on the Warm-Season Rainfall over Hainan Island

This study investigates the roles of the boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (BSISO) in the diurnal rainfall cycle over Hainan Island during the warm season (April-September) using 20-year satellite-based precipitation, ERA5 and the outgoing longwave radiation data with the phase composite analysis method. Results show that the spatial distributions of the hourly rainfall anomaly significantly change under the BSISO phases 1-8 while no clear variations are found on the daily and anomaly daily area-averaged rainfall over the island. During the BSISO phase 1, the rainfall anomaly distinctly increases in the morning over the southwest and late afternoon over the northeast of the island, while suppressed convection occurs in the early afternoon over the southwest area. Under this circumstance, strong low-level westerly winds bring abundant moisture into the island, which helps initiate the nocturnal-morning convection over the south coastal area, and drives the convergence region of sea breeze fronts to concentrate into the northwest. Opposite to Phase 1, an almost completely reversed diurnal cycle of rainfall anomaly is found in Phase 5, whereas a positive anomalous rainfall peak is observed in the early afternoon over the center while negative peaks are found in the morning and late afternoon over the southwest and northeast, owing to a strong low-level northeasterly anomaly flow, which causes relatively low moisture and enlarges a sea-breeze convergence area over the island. During Phase 8, strongest moisture is found over the island all through the day, which tends to produce highest rainfall in the afternoon with enhanced anomalous northerly. These results further indicate that multiscale interactions between the large-scale circulations and local land-sea breeze circulations play important roles in modulating diurnal precipitation cycles over the tropical island.     

中国大陆降水日变化研究进展

文章概述了中国大陆降水日变化的最新研究成果,给出了中国大陆降水日变化的整体图像,指出目前数值模式模拟降水日变化的局限性,为及时了解和掌握降水日变化研究进展、开展相关科学研究和进行降水预报服务提供了有价值的科学依据和参考。现有研究表明：（1）中国大陆夏季降水日变化的区域特征明显。在夏季,东南和东北地区的降水日峰值主要集中在下午;西南地区多在午夜达到降水峰值;长江中上游地区的降水多出现在清晨;中东部地区清晨、午后双峰并存;青藏高原大部分地区是下午和午夜峰值并存。（2）降水日变化存在季节差异和季节内演变。冷季降水日峰值时刻的区域差异较暖季明显减小,在冷季南方大部分地区都表现为清晨峰值;中东部地区暖季降水日变化随季风雨带的南北进退表现出清晰的季节内演变,季风活跃（间断）期的日降水峰值多发生在清晨（下午）。（3）持续性降水和局地短时降水的云结构特性以及降水日峰值出现时间存在显著差异。持续性降水以层状云特性为主,地表降水和降水廓线的峰值大多位于午夜后至清晨;短时降水以对流降水为主,峰值时间则多出现在下午至午夜前。（4）降水日变化涉及不同尺度的山-谷风、海-陆风和大气环流的综合影响,涉及复杂的云雨形成和演变过程,对流层低层环流日变化对降水日变化的区域差异亦有重要影响。（5）目前数值模式对中国降水日变化的模拟能力有限,且模拟结果具有很强的模式依赖性,仅仅提高模式水平分辨率并不能总是达到改善模拟结果的目的,关键是要减少存在于降水相关的物理过程参数化方案中的不确定性问题。     

全球模式NCAR CESM和CAS ESM对亚洲东部夏季气候的模拟性能评估:气候平均态和降水日变化分析

主要评估了美国国家大气研究中心的NCAR CESM（Community Earth System Model,NCAR）和中国科学院的CAS ESM（Earth System Model,Chinese Academy of Sciences）两个地球系统模式对亚洲东部夏季气候态的模拟性能。使用NCAR CESM和CAS ESM各两种不同的水平分辨率,一共进行了4组长达19年（1998~2016年）的数值积分试验,并通过对2 m气温、降水强度和降水日变化等的分析,比较了这两个模式在亚洲东部的模拟性能。结果表明,CAS ESM和NCAR CESM均能模拟出夏季2 m气温和降水强度的大尺度分布特征,但整体上模拟得到的地表面气温偏暖、降水强度偏弱。对于降水日变化而言,观测的日降水峰值在陆地上主要发生在下午到傍晚时段,在海洋上则出现在午夜到凌晨时段。两组低分辨率试验模拟的陆地降水峰值出现过早,且无法模拟出四川盆地的夜间降水峰值和部分海洋地区凌晨或上午的降水峰值。提高分辨率对模式的模拟性能有显著的提升作用。高分辨率下,NCAR CESM和CAS ESM对陆地和海洋的降水日变化模拟性能都明显提高。对降水日变化的定量化分析表明,高分辨率CAS ESM模式对整个亚洲东部降水日变化的模拟最优。目前模式对海陆风的模拟还不太理想,未来要进一步提高模式模拟性能,需要重点完善与气温、降水过程相关的物理参数化方案。     

Progress in Studies of the Precipitation Diurnal Variation over Contiguous China

This paper summarizes the recent progress in studies of the diurnal variation of precipitation over con- tiguous China. The main results are as follows. （1） The rainfall diurnal variation over contiguous China presents distinct regional features. In summer, precipitation peaks in the late afternoon over the south- ern inland China and northeastern China, while it peaks around midnight over southwestern China. In the upper and middle reaches of Yangtze River valley, precipitation occurs mostly in the early morning. Summer precipitation over the central eastern China （most regions of the Tibetan Plateau） has two diurnal peaks, i.e., one in the early morning （midnight） and the other in the late afternoon. （2） The rainfall diurnal variation experiences obvious seasonal and sub-seasonal evolutions. In cold seasons, the regional contrast of rainfall diurnal peaks decreases, with an early morning maximum over most of the southern China. Over the central eastern China, diurnal monsoon rainfall shows sub-seasonal variations with the movement of summer monsoon systems. The rainfall peak mainly occurs in the early morning （late afternoon） during the active （break） monsoon period. （3） Cloud properties and occurrence time of rainfall diurnal peaks are different for long- and short-duration rainfall events. Long-duration rainfall events are dominated by strat- iform precipitation, with the maximum surface rain rate and the highest profile occurring in the late night to early morning, while short-duration rainfall events are more related to convective precipitation, with the maximum surface rain rate and the highest profile occurring between the late afternoon and early night. （4） The rainfall diurnal variation is influenced by multi-scale mountain-valley and land-sea breezes as well as large-scale atmospheric circulation, and involves complicated formation and evolution of cloud and rainfall systems. The diurnal cycle of winds in the lower troposphere also contributes to the regional differences     

山东地区冰雹云的闪电活动特征

利用山东电力部门提供的雷电定位资料,对10次冰雹过程的地闪活动特征进行了分析。通过分析发现,雹暴中正地闪占总地闪的比例平均为57.39％,远高于当地正地闪比例的气候特征值13.48％。地面降雹区基本出现在正地闪密集（活跃）区或邻近区域。在雹云快速发展阶段,地闪频数存在明显的“跃增”;在减弱消散阶段,地闪频数显著减少,但正地闪比例有所提高。负地闪频数峰值的出现通常提前于降雹0～20 min,正地闪频数峰值的出现一般滞后于降雹发生时间。整个降雹阶段对应于正地闪的活跃阶段。另外,结合对卫星观测的总闪电资料分析,发现冰雹云的云闪与地闪的比值远高于一般的雷雨过程,其云闪密度也远高于雷雨过程。以上这些特征对于冰雹的识别和对冰雹的超短时预报具有指示意义。     

Diurnal variations of precipitation over the South China Sea

In this study, the diurnal variations of precipitation and related mechanisms over the South China Sea (SCS) are studied using the TRMM and other auxiliary atmospheric data. We have found that: (1) the amplitude and peak time of the diurnal precipitation over SCS exhibit remarkable regional features and seasonal variations. Diurnal variations are robust all the year around over the southern SCS especially over the Kalimantan Island and its offshore area. Over the middle to northern SCS, however, diurnal variations are noticeable only in the summer and autumn; (2) over the northern SCS precipitation peaks in early morning, while over the southern SCS it has two diurnal peaks: one in the early morning and another in the late afternoon; (3) the diurnal variations of precipitation over the SCS are related to the activity of the SCS summer monsoon and the ENSO events. The late afternoon precipitation increases remarkably after the onset of the SCS summer monsoon over the northern SCS. The early-morning rainfall peak is much more significant during La Nina years than during El Nino years; (4) the land–sea breeze is responsible for the diurnal cycle over the Kalimantan Island and its offshore area while the “static radiation–convection” mechanisms may result in the early-morning rainfall peak over the SCS.     

2007年丹东和阜新地区地闪特征

针对2007年辽宁地闪资料进行分析。结果表明：丹东和阜新是辽宁南北两个地闪高发区,其地闪变化既有共同之处,也有差异点。两地均为负地闪次数远远多于正地闪次数,正闪比相差不大;正闪比春季大,夏季少;丹东平均正、负地闪峰值电流强度均值大于阜新。地闪多发于午后到夜间,丹东多发于早晨。定义了地闪持续时数,分析发现地闪多集中发生在持续6h及以上的地闪活动过程中,因而持续6h及以上的地闪活动过程潜在危害较大。丹东地闪活动易发月份为5-10月,阜新为5-8月;丹东地闪活动最活跃期为8月,阜新地区为7月。     

江苏南部汛期降水日变化特征分析

利用江苏南部20个气象观测站2008—2012年汛期(5—10月)逐小时降水资料,应用降水频率来分析了江苏南部地区降水日变化基本特征和区域差异。研究表明:降水日变化特征地域性差异较强,西部站、东部站和东北沿海站都存在一定的特征差异。东部站降水量的最大值主要出现在下午和傍晚;西部站降水量主峰值出现在下午,并且在清晨和夜间还有两个次峰值;东北沿海站呈现出午前、午后的双峰值形式。2008—2011年降水量下午高值区有先减弱后增强并提前的趋势,而上午的高值区有总体减弱并推迟的特征。2011年后有明显减弱的趋势。江苏南部总体来说,短时强降水(大于20和25 mm/h)在16—19时出现主峰值,07—09时也有相对较小的次峰值。     

四川盆地地闪与对流性降水和雷达回波的关系

利用ADTD型闪电观测资料、SWAN拼图资料及成都CINRAD/SC多普勒天气雷达数据,对2009—2011年12次区域性大暴雨过程中的100个地闪、强降水个例和雷达回波的特征及时间关系进行了统计分析。结果表明:负地闪频数和降水强度随时间的变化较一致,有单峰、多峰的特征;负地闪频数越高,出现强降水的可能性越大;持续性强降水开始之前6~30min,83%的事件伴随有负地闪频数突增并持续性增长的现象,56%的事件有负地闪频数峰值出现,地闪频数突增对持续性强降水的开始有较好的指示意义;负地闪频数峰值出现之后的6~30min,67%的事件有出现降水量峰值,负地闪频数峰值的出现可预示雨强峰值的迅速到来;此外,在强回波移动方向的前方常伴有弱的负地闪活动,负地闪活动主要集中在35dBZ以上的强回波区,且移向与强回波的移动方向较一致。     

上海及周边地区地闪活动特征及海陆差异

利用LS8000闪电定位系统2009—2011年的地闪观测资料对上海及周边地区(120~122.5°E,30~32°N)的地闪活动特征进行了研究。结果表明:分析区域内正地闪的比例约占8.5%,大电流地闪(电流绝对值大于50kA)的比例约为5.6%。地闪活动主要集中在6—9月,峰值出现在8月;日变化上,12:00—19:00闪电活动最为活跃,峰值出现在14:00,凌晨闪电活动最弱。从日变化上来说,正地闪和大电流地闪比例在地闪活动较强时段低于地闪活动较弱时段;在月分布上,在地闪活动最强的夏季,正地闪比例普遍在10%以下,在地闪活动较弱的春、秋、冬季,正地闪比例普遍在10%以上。以北纬31°为界,分析区域北部地闪密度基本在6~12次·km-2·a-1以上,南部基本在2.4~4.8次·km-2·a-1。同时陆地上的地闪密度要显著高于湖泊和海洋上的地闪密度,而海洋上的正地闪比例和大电流地闪比例要显著高于陆地。闪电空间分布的时间变化说明,下午地闪活动主要出现在陆地,而凌晨地闪主要出现在水体附近,其它时段则表现出过渡特征,这与下垫面的加热作用紧密相关。     

Rainfall yield characteristics of electrical storm observed in the Spanish Basque Country area during the period 1992–1996

This paper is focused on the study of rainfall yield characteristics of electrical storms observed over the Northern Iberian Peninsula during 1992–1996. To this aim Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and Self-Organizing Maps (SOM) method have been used. The SOM method is a group of artificial neural networks based on the topological properties of the human brain. Results clearly suggest that there exist three different meteorological patterns that are linked to the characteristics of electrical events found in the study area. In winter, most of the electrical events are formed under oceanic advection (NW air fluxes). On these cases, mean rainfall yield estimates reach values of 700 10⁴ m³ per cloud to ground lightning flash (CG flash). During summer most frequent electrical storms are associated to local instability shooting by surface heating with advection of humidity coming from the Iberian Peninsula. Under these meteorological situations, rain is scarcer if compared with oceanic events but lightning CG counts reach the maximum values found in the area (about 10 CG counts per 20 × 20 km² and day) giving this way the smallest rainfall yield with a mean value of 15 10⁴ m³ per CG flash. Iberian air fluxes associated with cold air in upper parts of the atmosphere represent the third meteorological pattern found. This pattern is most common in spring and autumn but is not unusual in the rest of the seasons. In those cases mean rainfall yield in the area is about 150 10⁴ m³ per CG flash. In all electrical episodes K instability index is greater than 15 °C but in the most lightning producing events, this index reaches in the area values greater than 24 °C. PCA results pointed out that there exists a relationship between rain and CG counts expressed by the first principal component computed from standardized data. However, we must notice that no event is solely linked to this axis, since a seasonal influence which decreases lightning production when rain increases is always present. Results found are of great interest for short term forecasting of flashfloods in mountainous areas like the Spanish Basque Country region.     

Lightning activity related to satellite and radar observations of a mesoscale convective system over Texas on 7–8 April 2002

A multi-sensor study of the leading-line, trailing-stratiform (LLTS) mesoscale convective system (MCS) that developed over Texas in the afternoon of 7 April 2002 is presented. The analysis relies mainly on operationally available data sources such as GOES East satellite imagery, WSR-88D radar data and NLDN cloud-to-ground flash data. In addition, total lightning information in three dimensions from the LDAR II network in the Dallas–Ft. Worth region is used.GOES East satellite imagery revealed several ring-like cloud top structures with a diameter of about 100 km during MCS formation. The Throckmorton tornadic supercell, which had formed just ahead of the developing linear MCS, was characterized by a high CG+ percentage below a V-shaped cloud top overshoot north of the tornado swath. There were indications of the presence of a tilted electrical dipole in this storm. Also this supercell had low average CG− first stroke currents and flash multiplicities. Interestingly, especially the average CG+ flash multiplicity in the Throckmorton storm showed oscillations with an estimated period of about 15 min.Later on, in the mature LLTS MCS, the radar versus lightning activity comparison revealed two dominant discharge regions at the back of the convective leading edge and a gentle descent of the upper intracloud lightning region into the trailing stratiform region, apparently coupled to hydrometeor sedimentation. There was evidence for an inverted dipole in the stratiform region of the LLTS MCS, and CG+ flashes from the stratiform region had high first return stroke peak currents.     

北京一次强飑线过程的闪电辐射源演变特征及其与对流区域和地面热力条件的关系

利用2015年夏季北京闪电综合探测（BLNET）总闪辐射源定位、多普勒天气雷达、地面自动气象站和探空资料等多种协同观测资料,详细分析了2015年8月7日北京一次强飑线过程不同阶段的闪电特征,并探讨了闪电与对流区域和地面热力条件之间的关系。飑线过程整体上以云闪为主,根据雷达回波和闪电频数可以将飑线过程分为发展、增强及减弱三个阶段。发展阶段表现为多个孤立的γ中尺度对流降水单体,随着北京城区降水单体的迅速发展,强回波顶高延伸到-20℃温度层高度,闪电辐射源高度也逐步增加,闪电明显增多,但总闪电频数整体低于80次/min。增强阶段单体合并,闪电频数快速增长,0℃层以上及以下的强回波（＞40 dBZ）体积明显增大,飑线形成后,总闪和地闪均达到峰值,分别约248次/min和18次/min,负地闪占总地闪比例为90%,辐射源主要分布在线状对流降水区内,辐射源数量峰值出现在5～9 km高度层。减弱阶段飑线主体下降到0℃以下并迅速衰减,辐射源分布明显向后部层云降水区倾斜。95%的闪电发生在对流线附近10 km范围内,即对流云区和过渡区。在系统发展和增强阶段,对流云区与层云区辐射源的活跃时段基本一致;系统减弱阶段,对流降水云区辐射源数量迅速减少。在系统的不同发展阶段,闪电活跃区域对应于冷池出流同平原暖湿气流在近地面形成的相当位温强梯度带内。     

A decade of cloud‐to‐ground lightning in Canada: 1999–2008. Part 1: Flash density and occurrence

Abstract

Flash density and occurrence features for more than 23.5 million cloud‐to‐ground (CG) lightning flashes detected by the Canadian Lightning Detection Network (CLDN) from 1999 to 2008 are analyzed on 20 × 20 km equal area squares over Canada. This study was done to update an analysis performed in 2002 with just three years of data. Flashes were detected throughout the year, and distinct geographic differences in flash density and lightning occurrence were observed. The shape and locations of large scale patterns of lightning occurrence remained almost the same, although some details were different. Flash density maxima occurred at the same locations as found previously: the Swan Hills and Foothills of Alberta, southeastern Saskatchewan, southwestern Manitoba and southwestern Ontario. A region of greater lightning occurrence but relatively low flash density south of Nova Scotia occurred at the same location as reported previously. New areas of higher flash density occurred along the US border with northwestern Ontario and southern Quebec. These appear to be northward extensions of higher flash density seen in the previous study. The greatest average CG flash density was 2.8 flash km^?2 y^?1 in southwestern Ontario, where the greatest single‐year flash density (10.3 flash km^?2 y^?1) also occurred. Prominent flash density minima occurred east of the Continental Divide in Alberta and over the Niagara Escarpment in southern Ontario.

Lightning activity is seen to be highly influenced by the length of the season, proximity to cold water bodies and elevation. The diurnal heating and cooling cycle exerted the main control over lightning occurrence over most land areas; however, storm translation and transient dynamic features complicated the time pattern of lightning production. A large portion of the southern Prairie Provinces experienced more than 50% of flashes between 22:30 and 10:30 local solar time. The duration of lightning over a 20 × 20 km square at most locations in Canada is 5–10 h y^?1, although the duration exceeded 15 h y^?1 over extreme southwestern Ontario. Lightning occurred on 15–30 days each year, on average, over most of the interior of the country. The greatest number of days with lightning in a single year was 47 in the Alberta foothills and 50 in southwestern Ontario. Beginning and ending dates of the lightning season show that the season length decreases from north to south; however, there are considerable east‐west differences between regions. The season is nearly year‐round in the Pacific coastal region, southern Nova Scotia, southern Newfoundland and offshore.     

A Case Study of Cloud-to-Ground Lightning Activities in Hailstorms under Cold Eddy Synoptic Situation

There were three hailstorms in Shandong Province,caused by a same northeast cold eddy situation on 1 June 2002.Cloud-to-ground (CG) flashes occurring in the weather event were observed by Shandong Lightning Detection Network (SLDN),which consists of 10 sensors covering all over Shandong Province.The temporal and spatial distributions of CG lightning are investigated for the three hailstorms by using the data from SLDN,Doppler radar and satellite.The results show that different thunderstorms present different lightning features even if under the same synoptic situation.The percentage of positive CG lightning is very high during the period of hail falling.CG flashes mainly occurred in the region with a cloud top brightness temperature lower than -50°C.Negative CG flashes usually clustered in the lower temperature region and tended to occur in the region with maximum temperature gradient,while the positive ones usually spread discretely.Negative CG flashes usually occurred in intense echo regions with reflectivity greater than 50 dBz,while the positive CG flashes often occurred in weak and stable echo regions (10-30 dBz) or cloud anvils,although they can be observed in strong convective regions sometimes.Almost all hail falling took place in the stage with active positive flashes,and the peak positive flash rate is a little prior to the hail events.The thunderstorm could lead to disastrous weather when positive CG lightning activities occur in cluster.Severe thunderstorms sometimes present a low flash rate at its vigorous stage,which is probably caused by the"mechanism of chargeregion lift"through investigating the reflectivity evolution.Combined with the total lightning (intracloud and CG) data obtained by LIS onboard TRMM,the phenomenon of high ratio of intracloud flash to CG flash in severe hailstorm has been discussed.The competition of the same charge sources between different lightning types can also be helpful for explaining the cause of low CG lightning activities in severe storms.