The effect of topography and sea surface temperature on heavy snowfall in the Yeongdong region: A case study with high resolution WRF simulation

An analysis of the heavy snowfall that occurred on 11?C14 February 2011 in the Yeongdong region along the eastern coast is presented. Relevant characteristics based on observation and model simulations are discussed with a focus on the times of maximum snowfall in Gangneung (GN) and Daegwallyong (DG). This event was considered part of the typical snowfall pattern that frequently occurs in the Yeongdong region due to the prevailing northeasterly flow. The control simulation using the high resolution Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model (1 km × 1 km) showed reasonable performance in capturing the spatial distribution and temporal evolution of precipitation. The area of precipitation maxima appeared to propagate from the plain coastal region further into the inland mountainous region, in relation to the location of convergence zone. In addition, a series of sensitivity experiments were performed to investigate the effect of topography and sea surface temperature (SST) on the formation of heavy snowfall. The change of topography tended to modulate the topographically induced mechanical flow, and thereby modify the precipitation distribution, which highlights the importance of an elaborate representation of the topography. On the other hand, the sensitivity experiment to prescribe positive (negative) SST forcing shows the enhanced (suppressed) precipitation amount due to the change of the sensible and latent heat fluxes.     

A Study on a Snowband Associated with a Coastal Front and Cold-Air Damming Event of 3-4 February 1998 along the Eastern Coast of the Korean Peninsula

A 24-h simulation with the Advanced Regional Prediction System (ARPS) nonhydrostatic model is performed for the heavy snowfall event of 3–4 February 1998 along the eastern coast of Korean Peninsula; the results are used to understand the snowfall process, including why the precipitation maxima formed along the Yeongdong coastal region rather than over the mountain slope and ridge top during. The numerical simulation with a 4-km horizontal grid spacing and 43 levels reproduces very well the narrow snowband located off the eastern Korean coast, away from, instead of over, the Yeongdong coastal mountain range. The general evolution of the snowband agrees quite well with radar observations, while the water-equivalent precipitation amount agrees reasonably well with radar precipitation estimate. The simulation results clearly show that the snow band developed due to the lifting by a coastal front that developed because of the damming of cold air against the eastern slope of the coastal mountain range. The damming was enhanced by the advection of cold air by a low-level mountain-parallel jet from the north, formed due to geostrophic adjustment as the on-shore upslope air was decelerated by the mountain blocking. As the onshore flow weakened later due to synoptic-scale flow pattern change, the cold front propagated off shore and the precipitation dissipated.     

乌鲁木齐一次暴雪过程地形敏感性试验

以NCEP资料为初始场和侧边界条件,利用WRF模式对东、西天山地形对2015年12月9—12日大暴雪影响进行敏感性试验,从降水强度和分布等方面对比分析模拟结果,探讨地形在暴雪过程中的作用,对成因进行初步研究分析,结果表明:(1)此次强降雪发生是高空西南急流抽吸、低层风切变及风速辐合、偏北风与地形强迫抬升、地面冷锋移动缓慢等共同造成的。(2)此次暴雪天气过程,地形对强降雪的落区、强度影响很大,东、西天山高度与强降雪强度正相关,东、西天山高度降低、强降雪落区沿环流方向移动。(3)地形动力强迫整体上增强次级环流圈。近地面上升速度中心出现在迎风坡山脚至山腰区域,并向两侧递减,与此次大暴雪中心落区以及乌鲁木齐附近测站降雪量分布吻合,东、西天山地形高度降低50%,近地面上升速度中心值减少30%。地形强迫东、西天山峡谷近地面生成辐合中心和辐合线,辐合中心强度与地形高度正相关。(4)地形强迫抬升有加强水汽辐合汇聚的作用,东、西天山地形高度降低50%,水汽通量与水汽通量散度减少30%。     

Preliminary Results of the Ground-Based Orographic Snow Enhancement Experiment for the Easterly Cold Fog （Cloud） at Daegwallyeong during the 2006 Winter

The snow enhancement experiments, carried out by injecting AgI and water vapor into orographically enhanced clouds (fog), have been conducted to confirm Li and Pitter’s forced condensation process in a natural situation. Nine ground-based experiments have been conducted at Daegwallyeong in the Taebaek Mountains for the easterly foggy days from January–February 2006. We then obtained the optimized condi- tions for the Daegwallyeong region as follows: the small seeding rate (1.04 g min-1) of AgI for the easte...     

Simulation of a heavy wintertime precipitation event in California

A coupled mesoscale atmospheric-land surface model is used to simulate a twelve-day heavy precipitation event in California. In addition to the temporal variation of the large-scale flow, local topography played a crucial role in the simulated precipitation and land-surface snow budget through orographically-generated vertical motion and a decrease of atmospheric temperature with increasing altitude. The observed and simulated heavy precipitation occurred at locations where orographic lifting is strong: western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Coastal Range. Due to rainshadow effects, the Central Valley area, which is located at the lee side of the Coastal Range, received only a small amount of precipitation. The snowline appeared at altitudes as low as 750 m above sea level, and most of the precipitation above the 1.8 km level was snow. Maximum rainfall was located near the 1 km elevation along the western slope of the Sierra-Nevada while snowfall maxima appeared along the ridge of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Snow accumulation was also strongly dependent upon surface elevations. The simulation suggested that over 75% of the fresh snowfall during the study period was added to the existing snow cover at elevations above 1.5 km while much of the snowfall over lower elevations melted.     

Sensitivity of Snowfall Characteristics to Meteorological Conditions in the Yeongdong Region of Korea

This study investigates the characteristics of cold clouds and snowfall in both the Yeongdong coastal and mountainous regions under different meteorological conditions based on the integration of numerical modeling and three-hourly rawinsonde observations with snow crystal photographs for a snowfall event that occurred on 29?30 January 2016.We found that rimed particles predominantly observed turned into dendrite particles in the latter period of the episode when the 850 hPa temperature decreased at the coastal site,whereas the snow crystal habits at the mountainous site were largely needle or rimed needle.Rawinsonde soundings showed a well-defined,two-layered cloud structure along with distinctive wind-directional shear,and an inversion in the equivalent potential temperature above the low-level cloud layer.The first experiment with a decrease in lower-layer temperature showed that the low-level cloud thickness was reduced to less than 1.5 km,and the accumulated precipitation was decreased by 87%compared with the control experiment.The difference in precipitation amount between the single-layered experiment and control experiment(two-layered)was not so significant to attribute it to the effect of the seeder?feeder mechanism.The precipitation in the last experiment by weakening winddirectional shear was increased by 1.4 times greater than the control experiment specifically at the coastal site,with graupel particles accounting for the highest proportion(~62%).The current results would improve snowfall forecasts in complicated geographical environments such as Yeongdong in terms of snow crystal habit as well as snowfall amount in both time and space domains.     

Observation and Numerical Simulation of Cold Clouds and Snow Particles in the Yeongdong Region

The Yeongdong region of the Korean Peninsula is vulnerable to high-impact weather events, because of its complicated geographical characteristics and East Sea effect, such that heavy snowfall episodes have frequently occurred in winter. Snow crystal play an important role in cloud and precipitation physics because it is an essential element for improvement of numerical model, and remote sensing retrieval such as radar and satellite. In this study, the high-temporal resolution (3-hourly) dataset of radiosonde soundings and snow particle photographs during the intensive observation period for 2013–2016 has been used to understand characteristics of snow particles for the different meteorological conditions in the Yeongdong region. We also attempt to simulate two episodes that occurred on 23–24 February and 13–14 December 2016; one has a single-layered cloud and the other has two-layered cloud structure. This study demonstrates that the rimed particles in the first period tend to shift to aggregates of dendrites with the decrease of 850-hPa temperature. In general, the low-level clouds in the Yeongdong region are observed along with the distinctive wind shear and strong inversion in equivalent potential temperature around 2 ~ 3 km above the sea level. The simulation successfully represents the variations of the characteristics of snow particles as well as different cloud structure for both episodes. The observation and model simulations clearly suggest that snow particles primarily depend on the 850-hPa temperature.     

Effects of climate change on the intensity and frequency of heavy snowfall events in the Pyrenees

The intensity and frequency of heavy snowfall events in the Pyrenees were simulated using data from the HIRHAM regional climate model for a control period (1960?C1990) and two greenhouse emission scenarios (SRES B2 and A2) for the end of the twenty-first century (2070?C2100). Comparisons between future and control simulations enabled a quantification of the expected change in the intensity and frequency of these events at elevations of 1,000, 1,500, 2,000 and 2,500?m a.s.l. The projected changes in heavy snowfall depended largely on the elevation and the greenhouse gas emission scenario considered. At 1,000?m a.s.l., a marked decrease in the frequency and intensity of heavy snowfall events was projected with the B2 and A2 scenarios. At 1,500?m a.s.l., a decrease in the frequency and intensity is only expected under the higher greenhouse gas emission scenario (A2). Above 2,000?m a.s.l., no change or heavier snowfalls are expected under both emission scenarios. Large spatial variability in the impacts of climate change on heavy snowfall events was found across the study area.     

On the Mechanism of a Terrain-Influenced Snow Burst Event during Midwinter in Northeast China

Short-duration snow bursts with heavy snow represent one type of hazardous weather in winter which can be easily missed by the winter weather warnings but often results in great hazards.In this paper,the mechanism for the occurrence of such events was investigated with the aid of a localized terrain-influenced snow burst event in Northeast China.The snow burst was produced by an eastward-moving cold-frontal snowband which encountered the downstream complex terrain of the Changbai Mountains and intensified.To ascertain the role of orography on the snow burst,numerical experiments,together with a parallel sensitivity experiment removing Changbai Mountains,were performed to attempt to distinguish the contributions of cold-frontal system and orographic effects to produce the heavy snow.Diagnosis showed that without the influence of Changbai Mountains,the release of conditional instability(CI)and inertial instability(II)within a weak frontogenetical environment was responsible for the snowband maintenance.Orographic effects played important roles in enhancing the snowband and increasing the snowfall intensities.The enhancement mechanism was related to the interactions of the cold-frontal snowband and the topography.On the one hand,orographic frontogenesis and persistent ascent,created by orographic gravity waves over the terrain,greatly enhanced the orographic lifting.The intensification of the lifting promoted the release of CI and thus enhanced the snowfall.On the other hand,pre-existing orographic instabilities were released due to the passing of the cold-frontal snowband,which could also serve to intensify the snowband over terrain and thus increase the snowfall.     

梅雨锋上与强暴雨有关的中低压及其三维环境流场的诊断研究

本文对1986年6月22日出现于长江中游的一次中低压过程进行了诊断分析。这个中低压水平尺度约500km，生命史为一天，但是形成了日降水量263mm的特大暴雨。分析揭示，梅雨锋是一条近于东西走向的正涡度带状分布区。而这一带状区中存在强烈的中尺度水汽通量辐合中心和深厚的上升运动区，有利于中尺度低压的形成。#FKM#FS和θ的剖面表明，条件对称不稳定（CSI）可能是这次梅雨锋暴雨的一种触发机制。此外，由拉格朗日方法对气块三维轨迹的计算表明，来自高低空和不同方向的两支大尺度气流的结合使高空辐散加强，可能对中低压的     

Characteristics of easterly-induced snowfall in Yeongdong and its relationship to air-sea temperature difference

Characteristics of snowfall episodes have been investigated for the past ten years in order to study its association with lowlevel stability and air-sea temperature difference over the East Sea. In general, the selected snowfall episodes have similar synoptic setting such as the Siberian High extended to northern Japan along with the Low passing by the southern Korean Peninsula, eventually resulting in the easterly flow in the Yeongdong region. Especially in the heavy snowfall episodes, convective unstable layers have been identified over the East sea due to relatively warm sea surface temperature (SST) about 8～10°C and specifically cold pool around 1～2 km above the surface level (ASL), which can be derived from Regional Data Assimilation and Prediction System (RDAPS), but that have not been clearly exhibited in the weak snowfall episodes. The basic mechanism to initiate snowfall around Yeongdong seems to be similar to that of lake-effect snowstorms around Great Lakes in the United States (Kristovich et al., 2003). Difference of equivalent potential temperature (θ _e ) between 850 hPa and surface as well as difference between air and sea temperatures altogether gradually began to increase in the pre-snowfall period and reached their maximum values in the course of the period, whose air (850 hPa) — sea temperature difference and snowfall intensity in case of the heavy snowfall episodes are almost larger than 20°C and 6 tims greater than the weak snowfall episodes, respectively. Interestingly, snowfall appeared to begin in case of an air-sea temperature difference exceeding over 15°C. The current analysis is overall consistent with the previous finding (Lee et al., 2012) that an instabilityinduced moisture supply to the lower atmosphere from the East sea, being cooled and saturated in the lower layer, so to speak, East Sea-Effect Snowfall (SES), would make a low-level ice cloud which eventually moves inland by the easterly flow. In addition, a longlasting synoptic characteristics and convergence-induced invigoration also appear to play the important roles in the severe snowstorms. Improvements in our understanding of mesoscale sea-effect snowstorms require detailed in-situ and remote sensing observations over and around East Sea since observations of the concurrent thermodynamic and microphysical characteristics have not been available there and this study emphasizes the importance of low level stability as quantitative estimation of moist static energy generation over the East Sea.     

辽宁东南部一次强降雪天气的成因分析

利用常规观测资料、NCEP再分析资料、多普勒雷达资料等对2015年2月25日辽宁东南部一次强降雪过程进行分析。结果表明：此次强降雪过程发生在低空切变线东侧暖湿区对应高空急流出口区左侧的辐散区内,有强的水汽辐合中心;地面偏南气流受山前地形抬升作用在强降水区形成风向辐合和850 hPa以下急流中心,是造成强降雪的主要原因之一;暴雪过程开始前6 h出现温度平流随高度减小的配置,假相当位温空间分布上锋区的形成,有利于不稳定层结的建立;8～12 h前正涡度平流、中低层风向辐合带、近地面冷空气层的建立以及次级环流的形成加强了上升运动,对强降雪预报具有很好的指示作用;在降水相态是雨或雨夫雪时,雷达回波最大强度达到40～45 dBZ,而强降雪时回波强度为20～25 dBZ;当大连本站850 hPa温度以及1 000 hPa与850 hPa两层等压面之间的厚度处于雨雪转换临界值时,大连南部为雨或雨夹雪,北部为雪,此时出现强降雪,回波高度基本在6 km以下,最强回波25～35 dBZ维持在1 km以下,近地层为弱偏北风,与其上的西南风在边界层形成切变层,将暖湿气流抬升,为强降水提供动力条件。     

基于多种探测资料对华北中部一次回流暴雪过程的分析

2020年1月5日07时至6日04时（北京时,下同）华北中部出现一次回流暴雪天气,过程最大降雪量15.5 mm。文中应用ERA5再分析和多种高分辨率观测资料分析了此次暴雪的大尺度天气背景和本地动、热力状况,探讨了暴雪落区、强度演变和降雪微物理特征及成因。结果表明,受河套地区地面倒槽和东北平原高压影响,900 hPa以下东北气流（被称为“回流”）自东北平原经渤海抵达华北平原,早于降雪7 h开始影响华北中部,受太行山阻挡在华北平原形成浅薄的近地面中尺度辐合线,对应暴雪落区;暴雪落区位于500 hPa高空槽前、700 hPa南北走向切变线东侧,850 hPa受西南低涡外围东南气流影响。降雪前1 h石家庄市观测到800 m以下转为东北风,1 km以下气温迅速下降至?5—?1℃,形成“冷垫”;暴雪区上空700 hPa附近低空急流较降雪早2 h出现,随后急流变厚、向下伸展至2 km高度,其下部暖湿空气沿“冷垫”爬升触发降雪,急流风速增至极值（19 m/s）和急流指数达峰值（约8）与大于1 mm/h强降雪时段重合,此时700 hPa上下为上升运动和水汽输送的大值中心。本次降雪粒子直径多为0.35—0.55 mm,降雪强度与粒子数浓度呈线性正相关;降雪云层位于1.3—5.5 km高度,大致以3 km （约?10℃）为分界线,下层为冰雪混合层,上层为冰雪层,冰雪层相对湿度与地面雪花粒子浓度及降雪强度呈正相关。基于雨滴谱仪探测资料反演的地面反射率因子与降雪强度拟合关系为Z=149.85R1.14。      

Recycling of suspended particulates by the interaction of sea-land breeze circulation and complex coastal terrain

Summary The dispersion of recycled particulates in the complex coastal terrain surrounding Kangnung city, Korea was investigated using a three-dimensional non-hydrostatic numerical model and lagrangian particle model (or random walk model). The results show that particulates at the surface of the city that float to the top of thermal internal boundary layer (TIBL) are then transported along the eastern slope of the mountains with the sea breeze passage and nearly reach the top of the mountains. Those particulates then disperse eastward at this upper level over the coastal sea and finally spread out over the open sea. Total suspended particulate (TSP) concentration near the surface of Kangnung city is very low. At night, synoptic scale westerly winds intensify due to the combined effect of the synoptic scale wind and land breeze descending the eastern slope of the mountains toward the coast and further seaward. This increase in speed causes development of internal gravity waves and a hydraulic jump up to a height of about 1km above the surface over the city. Particulate matter near the top of the mountains also descends the eastern slope of the mountains during the day, reaching the central city area and merges near the surface inside the nocturnal surface inversion layer (NSIL) with a maximum ground level concentration of TSP occurring at 0300 LST. Some particulates are dispersed following the propagation area of internal gravity waves and others in the NSIL are transported eastward to the coastal sea surface, aided by the land breeze. The following morning, particulates dispersed over the coastal sea from the previous night, tend to return to the coastal city of Kangnung with the sea breeze, developing a recycling process and combine with emitted surface particulates during the morning. These processes result in much higher TSP concentration. In the late morning, those particulates float to the top of the TIBL by the intrusion of the sea breeze and the ground level TSP concentration in the city subsequently decreases.     

2010年冬季浙江两次强降雪过程的对比分析

利用NCEP1°×1°再分析资料,对浙江2010年冬季两次强降雪过程的环流形势和物理量场进行了分析和讨论.结果表明:两次过程都是北方冷空气与西南暖湿气流交汇所致,冷空气较强时,锋区迅速南压,降雪持续时间较短,暴雪产生在中低层切变线的风速辐合区中;而冷空气强度适中时,“冷垫”和静止锋长时间存在,降雪持续时间则较长,暴雪产生在低空急流的左前方;降雪区上空有明显的水汽通量辐合,水汽通量大值区的演变与降雪过程有较好的对应关系;低空辐合和高空辐散的配置是强降雪产生的有利动力条件,其强度越强,降雪也越强.     

South-coast cyclone in Japan during El Niño-caused warm winters

La Niña conditions during boreal winter sometimes brings excessive snowfall in Japan, especially on the East Sea/Sea of Japan coastal and mountain areas through intensified northwesterly cold winds caused by La-Niña related atmospheric teleconnection. Meanwhile, snowfall events also increase in the Pacific coast area of Japan during the El Niño state due to extratropical cyclones passing along the south coast of Japan (hereafter referred to as South-coast cyclone). In the present study, we investigated year-to-year snowfall/rainfall variations based on meteorological station data and cyclone tracks identified by using the Japanese 55-year Reanalysis. The result clearly indicates increase of the South-coast cyclone during El Niño-developing winters, which is consistent with excessive snow-fall in the northern part of the Pacific coast. Strong subtropical jet hampers cyclogenesis due to less vertical interaction through the trapping of upper-level eddies. During El Niño-developing winters, the subtropical jet is weakened over East Asia, indicating dynamic linkage to increased cyclone frequency. In addition to this, both the deepening of the upper-tropospheric trough over East Asia and anomalous low-tropospheric northwest anticyclones extending from the Philippines toward Japan are also consistent with the enhancement of cyclogenesis over the East China Sea as well as warm winter in Japan.     

山东半岛冷流暴雪雷达回波特征

利用烟台多普勒雷达资料,结合天气形势,对2005年12月3-7日和2008年12月3-6日山东半岛北部的冷流暴雪过程进行了分析研究。结果表明：东北冷涡造成强冷空气频繁,在对流层低层山东半岛存在强冷平流,海面温度和低层大气温度的较大温差造成了低层大气不稳定;渤海和黄海北部海区为降水提供了丰富的水汽;冷流暴雪产生在对流层低...     

2004年的极端天气和气候事件及其他相关事件的概要回顾

韩国3月暴雪,德国7月飞雪,我国华南近50年最严重的秋冬连旱、东北百年一遇的春旱,加勒比海地区连续异常猛烈的飓风,欧洲夏季高温,东太平洋上出现一次弱El Nino现象.2004年仍是气象灾害频繁发生的一年,创历史记录的极端天气继续出现.     

武陵山区一次暖区强降水触发和维持机制分析

利用自动站观测资料、多普勒雷达资料、ERA5 0.25 °×0.25 °再分析资料及WRF数值模拟资料，对2018年5月19—20日发生在重庆武陵山区一次暖区暴雨过程中尺度环境条件及中小尺度对流系统演变、触发和维持机制等进行分析。结果表明:（1）此次过程无明显冷空气强迫，斜压性弱，边界层高温高湿，对流层中下层存在明显条件不稳定层结；（2）石桥强降水中小尺度对流系统演变主要有3个阶段:分散对流组织成东西向带状对流、带状对流断裂后雨团准静止维持、东北-西南向带状对流快速重建；（3）沿武陵山脉分布的边界层辐合线触发雷暴发生，强回波单体沿辐合线移动和加强，形成“列车效应”；（4）石桥东部山顶雷暴冷池出流下山，与环境暖湿气流和地形作用共同维持石桥强降水；（5）山区地形对降水有重要影响，近地面偏东风与石桥西部山体相互作用形成局地气旋性小涡旋触发降水，而受到石桥东部山体阻挡作用，地形性涡旋移速变慢，利于强降水维持。      

Ternary forecast of heavy snowfall in the Honam area,Korea

The objective of this study is to improve the statistical modeling for the ternary forecast of heavy snowfall in the Honam area in Korea. The ternary forecast of heavy snowfall consists of one of three values, 0 for less than 50 mm, 1 for an advisory (50–150 mm), and 2 for a warning (more than 150 mm). For our study, the observed daily snow amounts and the numerical model outputs for 45 synoptic factors at 17 stations in the Honam area during 5 years (2001 to 2005) are used as observations and potential pre...