Winter tornadoes in Ireland: The case of the Athlone tornado of 12 January 2004

Records to date show that the maximum frequency of tornadoes in Ireland is during the summer months of July and August. However, significant tornadoes have also occurred during the winter months. This study identifies the main characteristics of such events in Ireland and examines one particular case that occurred on 12th January 2004 in the town of Athlone, County Westmeath. It occurred at approximately 2000 UTC, during the hours of darkness. This, together with the severe weather that occurred at the same time, minimised the eyewitness evidence. But site investigations established a recognisable, narrow damage track approximately 4.15 km long and local witness evidence suggests it lasted between 15 and 20 min. The synoptic environment for this event consisted of a cold front that was crossing Ireland from the west. This was in close proximity to a strong jet streak at 300 hPa and an upper level trough with an intense cold pool of air. Overall there was very modest instability. However, both horizontal and vertical wind shear was very marked, at middle levels and, in particular, low levels up to 800 hPa. This appears to have played the major role in the development of a favourable environment for the tornado. Mesoscale detail from radar images suggests that the tornado occurred in a storm cell behind the cold front along a surface boundary between the rear outflow from a storm cell ahead of it and surface winds from the SSW. It is also suggested that low level wind speed shear may have produced a downburst into the flank of the Athlone storm cell and created a bow echo of particularly small space–time dimensions, a mere 11 km long lasting for up to 30 min. The tornado occurred in the northern ‘bookend’ portion of the bow echo. If so, this is the first record of a bow echo tornado for Ireland.     

弓状雷达回波的个例分析

文章介绍了在一次强风暴系统的雷达探测中发现的弓状回波,讨论了回波的性质、结构及其成因,分析了它与中尺度系统的关系。表明藤田模式也适用于中尺度系统,并指出气旋式运动和反气旋式运动分别出现在逗号状回波的转动头部和尾部。尾部的向前移动方式是传播性的,且与近地层气流的辐散辐合紧密联系。     

Plasma and Electromagnetic Simulations of Meteor Head Echo Radar Reflections

Recently, meteor head echo detections from high powered large aperture radars (HPLA) have brought new measurements to bear on the study of sporadic interplanetary meteors. These same observations have demonstrated an ability to observe smaller meteoroids without some of the geometrical restrictions of specular radar techniques. Yet incorporating data from various radar reflection types and from different radars into a single consistent model has proven challenging. We believe this arises due to poorly understood radio scattering characteristics of the meteor plasma, especially in light of recent work showing that plasma turbulence and instability greatly influences meteor trail properties at every stage of evolution. In order to overcome some of the unknown relationships between meteoroid characteristics (such as mass and velocity) and the resulting head echo radar cross-sections (RCS), we present our results on meteor plasma simulations of head echo plasmas using particle in cell (PIC) ions, which show that electric fields strongly influence early stage meteor plasma evolution, by accelerating ions away from the meteoroid body at speeds as large as several kilometers per second. We also present the results of finite difference time domain electromagnetic simulations (FDTD), which can calculate the radar cross-section of the simulated meteor plasma electron distributions. These simulations have shown that the radar cross-section depends in a complex manner on a number of parameters. In this paper we demonstrate that for a given head echo plasma the RCS as a function of radar frequency peaks at sqrt (2*peak plasma frequency) and then decays linearly on a dB scale with increasing radar frequency. We also demonstrate that for a fixed radar frequency, the RCS increases linearly on a dB scale with increasing head echo plasma frequency. These simulations and resulting characterization of the head echo radar cross-section will both help relate HPLA radar observations to meteoroid properties and aid in determining a particular radar facility’s ability to observe various meteoroid populations.     

一次飑线过程雷达回波特征及环境条件分析

利用常规资料、NCEP/NCAR再分析资料及多普勒天气雷达资料等,对2014年3月30—31日广东一次飑线过程进行了分析。重点分析了飑线发生的环流背景、环境特征、不稳定条件、垂直风切变等及多普勒雷达回波演变过程。结果表明:(1)此次飑线过程发生在中高纬地区稳定的阻塞形势下,从四川盆地东移的高空槽和低涡切变线是造成广东强对流天气的主要影响系统。(2)低空急流水汽输送、低层强水汽辐合、强低空垂直风切变和上干下湿的水汽垂直分布为飑线的发生、发展提供了必要的热力和动力条件。(3)强盛阶段飑线具有明显的阵风锋和弱回波通道,速度图上飑线北端为强的气旋式切变,南端为弱的反气旋式切变,在"弓形"回波顶点处有强的速度辐合。飑线内部后侧为一支倾斜向下的冷空气入流,前沿是一支沿冷空气爬升的暖空气入流。(4)在"弓形"回波顶部后侧长时间维持着向后倾斜的后侧入流急流RIJ(Rear Inflow Jets),RIJ对"弓形"回波的形成、地面大风和飑线的维持和快速移动具有重要的作用。     

一次致灾冰雹的超级单体风暴雷达回波特征分析

利用石河子C波段多普勒天气雷达资料,对2010年6月28日下午发生在准噶尔盆地南缘石河子垦区北部沙漠边缘地带的强冰雹超级单体风暴的雷达回波演变特征进行了详细分析。结果表明,该超级单体风暴前进方向的右侧出现了弓形回波,左前侧和右后侧分别出现了＂V＂字型缺口;沿入流方向穿过最强回波位置的反射率因子垂直剖面呈现出典型的有界弱回波区、回波悬垂和有界弱回波区左侧的强大回波墙,最大回波强度出现在沿回波墙狭长区域的下部,其值达到70dBz;相应的径向速度上出现了中气旋,该中气旋的发展和维持使得超级单体弓形回波发展并维持;强冰雹发生在有界弱回波区、垂直累积液态水含量大值区和中气旋重合的区域内;可用中气旋提前30min预警短时冰雹,其反射率因子垂直剖面上的宽大有界弱回波及其回波悬垂和回波墙下部的强回波中心强度（70dBz）可作为预警大冰雹的预警指标。     

副热带高压外围西北侧一次强对流天气的雷达回波特征

2005年7月15日14时到16日08时,宜昌市出现了一次强对流天气过程。根据宜昌多普勒天气雷达每6min一次体扫监测信息,分析了副热带高压外围西北侧强对流天气雷达回波的演变趋势。结果表明,在山地向平原过渡的地带,当对流云发展到最旺盛阶段并出现地面强降水时,在其基本反射率最低仰角产品中存在出流边界;弓形回波、带状回波的走向与环境风场几乎成正交时,给所经之地造成异常剧烈的天气,且灾害性大风均出现在径向速度场中具有旋转性环流的强单体移动的下风方。     

上海地区近10年冷流降雪天气诊断分析

统计了近10年发生在上海地区的冷流降雪过程,初步揭示了此类天气过程的产生机理,并分析了降雪发生时对应的高低空天气形势、探空图、卫星云图和雷达回波特征。结果表明：上海地区2000—2009年共出现冷流降雪12次,占降雪总日数的25%,大部分过程降雪明显时段高空500 hPa上海处在槽前。冷流降雪发生前,宝山站探空图上,低层有不稳定层结,且850～925 hPa湿度较大。冷流降雪对应的红外云图,云阶走向和海岸线一致,且云体呈白亮波状结构,云顶高度多在3000m以下,雷达反射率因子较弱,多低于35 dBz。绝大部分过程海水和850 hPa温差在10～14℃之间,海水和925 hPa温差介于8～11℃之间。降雪发生时宝山站吹NW—WNW—N风,风速为3～6 m·s^-1与山东半岛相比,上海地区地理位置和地形条件决定其冷流降雪有分布范围小、持续时间短、降雪强度弱等特点。     

江西省冰雹天气的气候特征及雷达回波特征分析

通过对 1970～ 1999年 30 a我省冰雹资料和冰雹雷达观测资料的统计分析，揭示了江西省冰雹的时空分布特征和雷达回波参数等特征。     

Automatic Identification of Clear-Air Echoes Based on Millimeter-wave Cloud Radar Measurements

Millimeter-wave cloud radar(MMCR) provides the capability of detecting the features of micro particles inside clouds and describing the internal microphysical structure of the clouds. Therefore, MMCR has been widely applied in cloud observations. However, due to the influence of non-meteorological factors such as insects, the cloud observations are often contaminated by non-meteorological echoes in the clear air, known as clear-air echoes. It is of great significance to automatically identify th...     

江苏"4·30"强风雹成因及双偏振雷达特征分析

利用高分辨率再分析资料、双偏振雷达观测数据,揭示了江苏"4·30"强风雹成因及其雷达特征。结果表明,此过程发生在高空异常深厚的东北冷涡背景下,中层西北急流和地面暖低压均显著偏强,造成远超过经验性指标值的垂直风切变,利于风暴的增强及组织化发展。对流风暴的影响可分为30日午后到傍晚局地对流单体和傍晚到上半夜飑线两个不同阶段:第一阶段局地对流性强,能量积聚大,沿淮和淮北西部地区多局地性雷暴大风,并散发不同尺寸的冰雹;第二阶段在地面强冷空气大风及中高层干冷空气动量下传的影响下,飑线系统及其前缘阵风锋移动快速。飑线上弓形回波前端的强下沉辐散出流,叠加环境风的影响,导致江苏东南部地区区域性的极端灾害大风天气。雷达回波既可清晰显示冰雹云的一般回波特点,如反射率因子回波强,粒子均一性差等;也可反映不同尺寸冰雹回波的差异性,如回波强度越强,最大反射率因子高度越高,单体回波倾斜、弱回波区特征结构越清晰,三体散射特征越明显的风暴单体产生的冰雹尺寸越大;在没有大水滴包裹时,CC值随冰雹尺寸的增大而减小,且伸展高度增高等。综合分析雷达回波多个参量,如风暴单体和阵风锋的移速、风暴单体特征高度的下降速度、Z_DR大值高度降低等指标,对对流灾害性大风量级的监测与预警有重要指示意义。