A Study on a Heavy Rainfall Event Triggered by an Inverted Typhoon Trough in Shandong Province

A heavy rainfall event that occurred in Shandong Province in 26 28 August 2004 was caused mainly by Typhoon Acre and cold air activities related to a westerly trough. The event was triggered by an inverted typhoon trough, which was closely associated with the intensification of the low-level southeasterly flow and the northward transport of heat and momentum in the periphery of the typhoon low. A numerical simulation of this event is performed using the nonhydrostatic mesoscale model MM5 with two-way interactive and triply-nested grids, and the structure of the inverted typhoon trough is studied. Furthermore, the formation and development mechanism of the inverted typhoon trough and a mesoscale vortex are discussed through a vorticity budget analysis. The results show that the heavy rainfall was induced by the strong convergence between the strong and weak winds within the inverted typhoon trough. Dynamic effects of the low-level jet and the diabatic heating of precipitation played an important role in the development of the inverted typhoon trough and the formation of the mesoscale vortex. The vorticity budget analysis suggests that the divergence term in the low troposphere, the horizontal advection term, and the convection term in the middle troposphere were main contributors to positive vorticity. Nonetheless, at the same pressure level, the effect of the divergence term and that of the adveetion term were opposite to each other. In the middle troposphere, the vertical transport term made a positive contribution while the tilting term made a negative contribution, and the total vorticity tendency was the net result of their counteractions. It is found that the change tendency of the relative vorticity was not uniform horizontally. A strong positive vorticity tendency occurred in the southeast of the mesoscale vortex, which is why the heavy rainfall was concentrated there. The increase of positive vorticity in the low （upper） troposphere was caused by horizontal convergence （upward transport of vorticity from the lower troposphere）. Therefore, the development of the inverted typhoon trough and the formation of the mesoscale vortex were mainly attributed to the vorticity generated in the low troposphere, and also the vertical transport of vorticity from the low and middle troposphere.     

A Diagnostic and Numerical Study on a Rainstorm in South China Induced by a Northward-Propagating Tropical System

A strong cyclonic wind perturbation generated in the northern South China Sea （SCS） moved northward quickly and developed into a mesoscale vortex in southwest Guangdong Province, and then merged with a southward-moving shear line from mid latitudes in the period of 21-22 May 2006, during which three strong mesoscale convective systems （MCSs） formed and brought about torrential rain or even cloudburst in South China. With the 1° ×1° NCEP （National Centers for Environment Prediction） reanalysis data and the Weather and Research Forecast （WRF） mesoscale model, a numerical simulation, a potential vorticity inversion analysis, and some sensitivity experiments are carried out to reveal the formation mechanism of this rainfall event. In the meantime, conventional observations, satellite images, and the WRF model outputs are also utilized to perform a preliminary dynamic and thermodynamic diagnostic analysis of the rainstorm systems. It is found that the torrential rain occurred in favorable synoptic conditions such as warm and moist environment, low lifting condensation level, and high convective instability. The moisture transport by strong southerly winds associated with the rapid northward advance of the cyclonic wind perturbation over the northern SCS provided the warm and moist condition for the formation of the excessive rain. Under the dynamic steering of a southwesterly flow ahead of a north trough and that on the southwest side of the West Pacific subtropical high, the mesoscale vortex （or the cyclonic wind perturbation）, after its genesis, moved northward and brought about enormous rain in most parts of Guangdong Province through providing certain lifting forcing for the triggering of mesoscale convection. During the development of the mesoscale vortex, heavy rainfall was to a certain extent enhanced by the mesoscale topography of the Yunwu Mountain in Guangdong. The effect of the Yunwu Mountain is found to vary under different prevailing wind directions and intensities. The location o     

VARIATION OF PRECIPITATION DURING WINTER AS A CAUSE OF SUSTAINED DROUGHT IN GUANGDONG DURING THE PAST 50 YEARS

The variation characteristics of precipitation during the winter (between October and the following March, to be referred to as just “the winter” hereafter) in Guangdong province during the past 50 years (from 1957 to 2006) and the relationship with Pacific SST are studied using the methods of Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis, wavelet analysis, and correlation analysis. The results show that The Guangdong precipitation during the winter exhibits quasi-periodic significant oscillations of 40 years and 2 years; rainfall is less from the end of the 1950s to the start of the 1970s and from the end of the 1990s to the present than from the mid 1970s to the mid 1990s. The frequency of sustained drought is more than sustained flooding during the winter. The Guangdong precipitation during this time period is in significantly positive correlation to the equatorial central and eastern Pacific SST, but in a significantly negative correlation with the western and northern Pacific SST east of the Philippine Sea. 61.5% of the sustained drought occurred in the phase of negative anomalies of the Ni?o3.4 index and 38.5% in the phase of positive ones. A composite analysis of atmospheric circulation is performed for the positive and negative phases of the Ni?o3.4 region associated with the sustained drought. The results showed that a weak polar vortex, a strong trough in Europe and a ridge near Balkhash Lake, active cold air and consistent northerly wind anomalies controlling Guangdong at low levels, an inactive westerly low disturbance in the low-mid latitude of the Asian continent, and a weak southern branch westerly trough, are all mutual causes for the sustained drought.     

STRUCTURE OF MESO-β AND –γ-SCALE ON SOUTH CHINA HEAVY RAINFALL ON 12～13 JUNE 2005 USING DUAL-DOPPLER RADAR

The three-dimensional wind fields of the heavy rain on 12-13 June 2005 in Guangdong province are retrieved and studied with the volume scan data of the dual-Doppler radar located in the cities of Meizhou and Shantou. It is shown that the meso-β-scale and meso-γ-scale convergence lines located in the convective system at the low and middle layer play an important role in the heavy rainfall. The convergence line is the initiating and maintaining mechanism of the rain. A three dimensional kinematic structure model is also given.     

CHARACTERISTICS AND RELATIONS OF LIGHTNING AND RADAR ECHOES FOR STRONG CONVECTIVE RAINSTORMS IN YUNNAN

Based on cloud-ground lightning data and Doppler weather radar echo products, both thecharacteristics and the relations of lightning and radar echoes for strong convective rainstorms over Yunnanare analyzed during the flood season of 2007. The results show that most rainstorms are convective in whichlightning is mostly negative and the negative lightning number accounts for more than 90% of the total.Although the correlation between precipitation and the lightning number is small on the rainstorm day, thelarge day-lightning frequency usually produces heavy precipitation. Hourly evolution of precipitation andlightning frequency shows peak-style characteristics. And their evolution is very coherent in strongrainstorm, but lightning often occurs before precipitation, whose peaks are in phase with or 1-to-2-hourlagged behind that of lightning frequency. Meanwhile the peaks of positive frequency are in phase with orfall behind that of precipitation. When the wind field is heterogeneous in radial velocity, it is conducive toboth the development of convection echoes and occurrence of lightning. Strong lightning-producingconvective rainstorms correspond to strong echo fields and usually result in reflectivity above 30 dBZ andecho top ET of more than 9 km, respectively.     

Analysis of a group of weak small-scale vortexes in the planetary boundary layer in the mei-yu front

A mei-yu front process in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River on 23 June 1999 was simulated by using the fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University-NCAR （PSU/NCAR） Mesoscale Model （MM5） with FDDA （Four Dimension Data Assimilation）. The analysis shows that seven weak small mesoscale vortexes of tens of kilometers, correspondent to surface low trough or mesoscale centers, in the planetary boundary layer （PBL） in the mei-yu front were heavily responsible for the heavy rainfall. Sometimes, several weak small-scale vortexes in the PBL could form a vortex group, some of which would weaken locally, and some would develop to be a meso-α-scale low vortex through combination. The initial dynamical triggering mechanism was related to two strong currents： one was the northeast flow in the PBL at the rear of the mei-yu front, the vortexes occurred exactly at the side of the northeast flow; and the other was the strong southwest low-level jet （LLJ） in front of the Mei-yu front, which moved to the upper of the vortexes. Consequently, there were notable horizontal and vertical wind shears to form positive vorticity in the center of the southwest LLJ. The development of mesoscale convergence in the PBL and divergence above, as well as the vertical positive vorticity column, were related to the small wind column above the nose-shaped velocity contours of the northeast flow embedding southwestward in the PBL, which intensified the horizontal wind shear and the positive vorticity column above the vortexes, baroclinicity and instability.     

IMPACT OF TROPICAL INTRASEASONAL OSCILLATIONS ON THE PRECIPITATION OF GUANGDONG IN JUNES

The impact of tropical intraseasonal oscillations on the precipitation of Guangdong in Junes and its physical mechanism are analyzed using 30-yr (1979 to 2008), 86-station observational daily precipitation of Guangdong and daily atmospheric data from NCEP-DOE Reanalysis. It is found that during the annually first rainy season (April to June), the modulating effect of the activity of intraseasonal oscillations propagating eastward along the equator (MJO) on the June precipitation in Guangdong is different from that in other months. The most indicative effect of MJO on positive (negative) anomalous precipitation over the whole or most of the province is phase 3 (phase 6) of strong MJO events in Junes. A Northwest Pacific subtropical high intensifies and extends westward during phase 3. Water vapor transporting along the edge of the subtropical high from Western Pacific enhances significantly the water vapor flux over Guangdong, resulting in the enhancement of the precipitation. The condition is reverse during phase 6. The mechanism for which the subtropical high intensifies and extends westward during phase 3 is related to the atmospheric response to the asymmetric heating over the eastern Indian Ocean. Analyses of two cases of sustained strong rainfall of Guangdong in June 2010 showed that both of them are closely linked with a MJO state which is both strong and in phase 3, besides the effect from a westerly trough. It is argued further that the MJO activity is indicative of strong rainfall of Guangdong in June. The results in the present work are helpful in developing strategies for forecasting severe rainfall in Guangdong and extending, combined with the outputs of dynamic forecast models, the period of forecasting validity.     

A NUMERICAL STUDY ON THE INFLUENCE OF WIND FIELDS AT UPPER LEVELS IN THE MEIYU PERIOD ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF LOW LEVEL JET AND MESOSCALE SYSTEMS

Using a mesoscale model,a numerical study on a heavy rainfall case occurring in theChangjiang-Huaihe River Basin is made in this paper.The influence of the intensity ofnortheasterly wind in front of the Qinghai-Xizang high at upper level on the low level wind fieldand development of mesoscale systems as well as heavy rainfall is investigated.The model wellreproduced the heavy rainfall process and the weather systems associated.And it indicates that thestrong northeasterly flow around the high at upper troposphere will bring about not only thestrengthening of low level southeasterly wind,but also the appearance of shear-line and mesoscalevortex at low level.The coupling of northerly wind at upper level and southerly wind at lowerlevel constructs a vertical indirect circulation which is most favourable for the development ofconvective motions.Its ascending branch in the shear-line area is very strong and shows apronounced mesoscale characteristic.     

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF SUMMER TROPICAL CYCLONE REMOTE PRECIPITATION EVENTS IN EAST ASIA FROM 2000 TO 2009 AND NUMERICAL SIMULATION

Using 1°×1° final analysis(FNL) data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction(NCEP),precipitation data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission(TRMM) and the best-track tropical cyclone(TC)dataset provided by the Japan Meteorological Agency(JMA) for June-August of 2000-2009, we comprehensively consider the two factors low-level moisture channel and interaction between TCs and mid-latitude systems and implement a statistical analysis of remote precipitation in East Asia to the north of 0° and to the west of 150° E. 48 cases of remote precipitation occurred in this period, which are categorized into five classes. After a composite analysis of the different classes, the main systems at 850 h Pa and 500 h Pa that impact the remote precipitation are as follows:TC, mid-latitude trough, subtropical high and water vapor channel. In particular, the water vapor channel which usually connects with Indian monsoon has the most significant impact on remote heavy rainfall. Another important factor is the mid-latitude trough. The type of north trough/vortex-south TC remote precipitation events happen most frequently,accounting for 68.8% of the total incidence. Most remote precipitation events occur on the right side of the TC path(representing 71% of the total number). At 200 h Pa, the remote precipitation events usually occur on the right rear portion of a high-altitude jet stream, and there is an anti-cyclonic vortex to the east and west of the TCs. When there is no anti-cyclonic vortex to the east of the TC, the TC is relatively weak. When the remote precipitation occurs to the northwest of the TC and there is a trough in the northwest direction, the TC is relatively strong. Numerical experiments are carried out using Weather Research and Forecast(WRF) model. The results shows that the TC plays a main role in producing the heavy precipitation and results in the enhancement of precipitation by impacting the water vapor channel.     

STRUCTURE OF MESO-β AND -γ-SCALE ON SOUTH CHINA HEAVY RAINFALL ON 12～13 JUNE 2005 USING DUAL-DOPPLER RADAR

The three-dimensional wind fields of the heavy rain on 12-13 June 2005 in Guangdong province are retrieved and studied with the volume scan data of the dual-Doppler radar located in the cities of Meizhou and Shantou. It is shown that the meso-β-scale and meso-γ-scale convergence lines located in the convective system at the low and middle layer play an important role in the heavy rainfall. The convergence line is the initiating and maintaining mechanism of the rain. A three dimensional kinematic structure model is also given.     

ANALYSIS OF THE COLD AIR EFFECT ON AN EXTREME PRECIPITATION EVENT TRIGGERED BY AN INVERTED TROUGH OF TYPHOON HAIKUI (1211)

Based on intensive automatic weather station data, satellite cloud imagery, NCEP reanalyzed data, and the simulation results from mesoscale numerical models, this study analyzes the characteristics and formation mechanisms of the mesoscale convection system (MCS) during the extreme precipitation event that was triggered by a weakened low-pressure inverted trough of Typhoon Haikui on August 10/2012. The results of this study show that cold air at the rear of a northeastern cold vortex creates thermodynamic conditions favorable to the development of extreme precipitation. The main body of the cold air is northward located so that the cold air invades only the middle layer of the periphery of the inverted trough. Thus, the cold air minimally affects the lower layer, which results in a vertically distributed structure of the temperature advection that augments the formation and development of convective instability stratification. In the middle troposphere, the cold air encounters the convergent, ascending, warm moist air from the low-pressure inverted trough, leading to frontogenesis. The frontogenesis enhances wind convergence which, in turn, further enhances the frontogenesis, and the positive feedback between these two forces augments the development of meso- and small-scale convection systems in the rainstorm region and its vicinity, which strengthens the upward transportation of water vapor from low layers and thickening of water vapor convergence and results in local heavy rains.     

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE VARIATION IN HORIZONTAL VORTICITY AND HEAVY RAIN DURING THE PROCESS OF MCC TURNING INTO BANDED MCSS

Using real-time data and the WRF mesoscale model,a heavy rain event in the process of Mesoscale Convective Complex(MCC) turning into banded Mesoscale Convective Systems(MCSs) during 18-19 June 2010 is simulated and analyzed in this paper.The results indicated that the formation and maintenance of a southwest vortex and shear line at 850 h Pa was the mesoscale system that affected the production of this heavy rain.The low-vortex heavy rain mainly happened in the development stage of MCC,and the circular MCC turned into banded MCSs in the late stage with mainly shear line precipitation.In the vicinity of rainfall area,the intense horizontal vorticity due to the vertical shear of u and v caused the rotation,and in correspondence,the ascending branch of the vertical circulation triggered the formation of heavy rain.The different distributions of u and v in the vertical direction produced varying vertical circulations.The horizontal vorticity near the low-vortex and shear line had obvious differences which led to varying reasons for heavy rain formation.The low-vortex heavy rain was mainly caused by the vertical shear of v,and the shear line rainfall formed owing to the vertical shear of both u and v.In this process,the vertical shear of v constituted the EW-trending rain band along the shear line,and the latitudinal non-uniformity of the vertical shear in u caused the vertical motion,which was closely related to the generation and development of MCSs at the shear line and the formation of multiple rain clusters.There was also a similar difference in the positively-tilting term(conversion from horizontal vorticity to vertical positive vorticity) near the rainfall center between the low-vortex and the shear line.The conversion in the low vortex was mainly determined by бv/бp0,while that of the shear line by бu/бp0.The scale of the conversion from the horizontal vorticity to vertical vorticity was relatively small,and it was easily ignored in the averaged state.The twisting term was mainly conducive to the reinforcement of precipitation,whereas its contribution to the development of southwest vortex and shear line was relatively small.     

OBSERVATION RESEARCH FOR THE MEASURING RAINFALL CAPACITY OF TRMM/TMI-85.5G BASED ON PRECIPITATION DATA DURING THE HEAVY RAIN EXPERIMENT IN SOUTHERN CHINA

The capacity of Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Satellite for measuring rainfall was examined by using TMI-85.5 GHz microwave image data and precipitation data during a heavy rainfall experiment in southern China. From comparisons with the distribution of rain amount in an hour with BB T of 85.5 GHz microwave, it is clear that the center of heavy rain corresponds with an area of low BB T value. The location and shape of BB T distribution is similar to that of precipitation, and the larger the rainfall rates, the lower the BB T . A statistic analysis shows that the correlation coefficients between BB T and rain rates is negative and significant. Especially, when the rain rate is over 7 mm/h, the correlation degree between BB T and rain rates is more significant. The results shows that TRMM/TMI-85.5 G has great ability to measure convective heavy rain.     

Mesoscale Analysis of a Heavy Rainfall Event over Hong Kong During a Pre-rainy Season in South China

During the Heavy Rainfall Experiment in South China （HUAMEX） of 1998, a record heavy rainfall event occurred in the delta of the Pearl River during the 24 hours from 1200 UTC 8 June to 1200 UTC 9 June, 1998, and a 24-hour precipitation maximum of 574 mm was reported in Hong Kong. In this paper, some mesoscale characteristics of this heavy rainfall event are studied using data from satellites, Doppler radar, wind profilers, and automatic meteorological stations collected during HUAMEX. The following conclusions are drawn： （1） During this heavy rainfall event, there existed a favorable large-scale environment, that included a front with weak baroclinity in the heavy rain area and with an upward motion branch ahead of the front. （2） Unlike most extratropical or subtropical systems, the closed low in the geopotential height field does not exited. The obvious feature was that a southerly branch trough in the westerlies existed and Hong Kong was located ahead of the trough. （3） The rainfall areas were located in the warm sector ahead of the front, rather than in the frontal zone, which is one of the characteristics of heavy rainfalls during the pre-rainy season of South China. A southerly warm and moist current contributed to the heavy rainfall formation, including the transportation of rich water vapor and the creation of strong horizontal wind convergence. （4） The observations show that the heavy rainfall in Hong Kong was directly caused by a series of meso β systems rather than a mesoscale convective complex （MCC）. These meso β systems moved with the steering current in the lower-mid troposphere, their life cycles were 3-6 hours, and their horizontal sizes were 10-100 km. （5） The disturbances in the lower and mid troposphere, especially that in the planetary boundary layer （PBL） were very shallow. However, they are a possible trigger mechanism for the occurrence and development of the mesoscale convective systems and related heavy rainfalls. Finally, a conceptual model of the heav     

A NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF ACID PRECIPITATION IN CHONGQING AREA OF CHINA

A numerical model for the study of the regional acid precipitation is developed. The model consists of five parts: the distribution patterns of SO2 concentration, the mesoscale flow fields, the parameterization of SO2 transformation into SO4-, the parameterization of precipitation scavenging process, and the relationship between SO2 content in precipitation and ground level concentration of SO2 in the air. The distribution of SO2, SO2- and pH for all precipitations in Chongqing area during the period of July to October 1982 are simulated with the model. A comparison of the simulated results with experimental data shows that high SO2 concentration centres correspond to low pH centres. The source of the acid rain in Chongqing area is local air pollution which is due to the lower effective stack height, low wind velocity in the area, basin topography, and the use of coal with high sulphur content. The mechanism for the formation of the acid precipitation here may be different from that in the United States     

CHARACTERISTICS OF GRAVITY WAVE PROPAGATION AND ENERGY CONVERSION IN A SUDDEN HEAVY RAINFALL EVENT

In this paper, a sudden heavy rainfall event is analyzed, which occurred over the Yellow River midstream during 5–6 August 2014. We used observational, NCEP/NCAR reanalysis, high-resolution satellite, and numerical simulation data. The main results are as follows. Under an unfavorable environmental circulation, inadequate water vapor and unfavorable dynamic conditions but sufficient energy, a local sudden heavy rainfall was caused by the release of strong unstable energy that was triggered by cold air transport into middle and lower layers and the propagation of gravity waves. The distributions of rain area, rain clusters, and 10-minute rainfall showed typical mesoscale and microscale fluctuation characteristics. In the mesoscale rain area or upstream, there was a quasi-stationary wave of mesoscale gravity waves with their propagation downstream. In the course of propagation from southwest to northeast, the wavelength became longer and the amplitude attenuated. In the various phases of gravity wave development, there were evident differences in the direction of the wave front. Wave energy was mainly in the lower layers. Unstable vertical wind shear at heights of 1–6 km provided fluctuation energy for the gravity waves. The mechanisms of heavy rainfall formation were different at Linyou and Hancheng stations. Diabatic heating was the main source of disturbed effective potential energy at Linyou. The explosive short-period strong precipitation was caused by the release of strong effective potential energy triggered by the gravity waves, and its development and propagation after that energy maximized. In contrast, the latent heat release of upstream precipitation was the main source of disturbed effective potential energy at Hancheng. This formed a positive feedback mechanism that produced continuous precipitation. In the studied event, the development of westerly belt systems had disturbed the wind field. The contribution of kinetic energy generated by this disturbance could not be ignored. The Froude number, mountain shape parameter, and ratio between mountain height and temperature inversion layer thickness had various effects of atmosphere and terrain on mesoscale and microscale mountain waves. In upper and lower layers, there were five airflows that were strengthened by the terrain. All these had important influences on local heavy rainfall at Linyou and Hancheng stations.     

DIAGNOSTIC ANALYSIS OF ASYMMETRIC SPIRAL RAINBANDS AROUND THE LANDING OF TYPHOON HAITANG (2005)

By using WRF mesoscale model, this paper carries out a numerical simulation and diagnostic analysis of the structural characteristics of the asymmetric spiral rain bands around the landing of Typhoon Haitang during the period of July 19 to 20, 2005. The result indicated that the two rainbands associated with the precipitation centre was mainly located northeast of the typhoon centre. The movement and intensity of the southern rainband corresponded well with the 850-hPa positive vorticity band from 0200 to 1800 UTC July 19, 2005. Under the effect of cyclonic circulation, the positive vorticity band at 850 hPa connected with a southern rain band, leading to the intensification of rainfall in the southern centre of the precipitation. The southward rainband gradually moved toward and then merges with the northward one, strengthening the rainfall in the northern centre of the precipitation. Besides, the relationship between the heavy rainfall and the divergence field of vertical shear wind in the high altitude is analyzed. Finally, the relationship is revealed between the development of the vertical component of convective vorticity vector and the rainfall near the two centres of precipitation in the low altitude.     

ANALYSIS OF RAINSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH SIMILAR TRACK TROPICAL CYCLONES HAITANG (0505) AND BILIS (0604)

It is generally thought that the influence of comparable track typhoons is approximately similar, but in fact their wind and especially their rainstorm distribution are often very different. Therefore, a contrastive analysis of rainstorms by tropical cyclones (TCs) Haitang (0505) and Bilis (0604), which are of a similar track, is designed to help understand the mechanism of the TC rainstorm and to improve forecasting skills. The daily rainfall of TC Haitang (0505) and Bilis (0604) is diagnosed and compared. The result indicates that these two TCs have similar precipitation distribution before landfall but different precipitation characteristics after landfall. Using NCEP/GFS analysis data, the synoptic situation is analyzed; water vapor transportation is discussed regarding the calculated water vapor flux and divergence. The results show that the heavy rainfall in the Zhejiang and Fujian Provinces associated with Haitang (0505) and Bilis (0604) before landfall results from a peripheral easterly wind, a combination of the tropical cyclone and the terrain. After landfall and moving far inland of the storm, the precipitation of Haitang is caused by water vapor convergence carried by its own circulation; it is much weaker than that in the coastal area. One of the important contributing factors to heavy rainstorms in southeast Zhejiang is a southeast jet stream, which is maintained over the southeast coast. In contrast, the South China Sea monsoon circulation transports large amounts of water vapor into Bilis – when a water-vapor transport belt south of the tropical cyclone significantly strengthens – which strengthens the transport. Then, it causes water vapor flux to converge on the south side of Bilis and diverge on the north side. Precipitation is much stronger on the south side than that on the north side. After Bilis travels far inland, the cold air guided by a north trough travels into the TC and remarkably enhances precipitation. In summary, combining vertical wind shear with water vapor transportation is a good way to predict rainstorms associated with landing tropical cyclones.     

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.     

Dynamical and Thermal Problems in Vortex Development and Movement. Part I: A PV–Q View

Based on the Lagrangian change equation of vertical vorticity deduced from the equation of threedimensional Ertel potential vorticity(PV e),the development and movement of vortex are investigated from the view of potential vorticity and diabatic heating(PV-Q).It is demonstrated that the asymmetric distribution in the vortex of the non-uniform diabatic heating in both vertical and horizontal can lead to the vortex’s development and movement.The theoretical results are used to analyze the development and movement of a Tibetan Plateau(TP) vortex(TPV),which appeared over the TP,then slid down and moved eastward in late July 2008,resulting in heavy rainfall in Sichuan Province and along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.The relative contributions to the vertical vorticity development of the TPV are decomposed into three parts:the diabatic heating,the change in horizontal component of PV e(defined as PV 2),and the change in static stability θ z.The results show that in most cases,diabatic heating plays a leading role,followed by the change in PV 2,while the change of θ z usually has a negative impact in a stable atmosphere when the atmosphere becomes more stable,and has a positive contribution when the atmosphere approaches neutral stratification.The intensification of the TPV from 0600 to 1200 UTC 22 July 2008 is mainly due to the diabatic heating associated with the precipitation on the eastern side of the TPV when it uplifted on the up-slope of the northeastern edge of the Sichuan basin.The vertical gradient of diabatic heating makes positive(negative) PV e generation below(above) the maximum of diabatic heating;the positive PV e generation not only intensifies the low-level vortex but also enhances the vertical extent of the vortex as it uplifts.The change in PV e due to the horizontal gradient of diabatic heating depends on the vertical shear of horizontal wind that passes through the center of diabatic heating.The horizontal gradient of diabatic heating makes positive(negative) PV e generation on the right(left) side of the vertical shear of horizontal wind.The positive PV e generation on the right side of the vertical shear of horizontal wind not only intensifies the local vertical vorticity but also affects direction of movement of the TPV.These diagnostic results are in good agreement with the theoretic results developed from the PV-Q view.