Liu Ze, Guo Fengxia, Zheng Dong, et al. Lightning activities in a convection cell dominated by heavy warm cloud precipitation. J Appl Meteor Sci, 2020, 31(2): 185-196. DOI:  10.11898/1001-7313.20200206.
Citation: Liu Ze, Guo Fengxia, Zheng Dong, et al. Lightning activities in a convection cell dominated by heavy warm cloud precipitation. J Appl Meteor Sci, 2020, 31(2): 185-196. DOI:  10.11898/1001-7313.20200206.

Lightning Activities in a Convection Cell Dominated by Heavy Warm Cloud Precipitation

DOI: 10.11898/1001-7313.20200206
  • Received Date: 2019-10-26
  • Rev Recd Date: 2020-01-09
  • Publish Date: 2020-03-31
  • Lightning activity in a convection cell that occurred in Guangzhou of China on 7 May 2017 dominated by heavy warm cloud precipitation and its relationship with the precipitation structure of the cell are disscussed, using three-dimensional lightning location data of the Low_Frequency E-field Dection Array (LFEDA) in the Field Experiment Base on Lightning Sciences, China Meteorological Administration (CMA_FEBLS) and Guangzhou polarimetric radar observations. According to the ground precipitation obtained by radar inversion, the maximum cumulative precipitation from 0000 BT to 0400 BT in the cell dominated by warm cloud precipitation is 261 mm. The cell produces a total of 1250 detected lightning flashes within 4 h, with the ratio of cloud-to-ground flashes being about 24%. Lightning discharges mainly occur in the height range of 4-12 km, corresponding to the isotherm layers between approximately 0℃ and -40℃. The height and isotherm associated with the peak-frequency lightning discharges are about 8.5 km and -19℃, respectively. The heavy rainfall cell represents general tripolar charge structure, i.e., the upper positive charge region, middle negative charge region and lower positive charge region, with the negative charge core being between approximately -8℃ and -15℃ layers. The region featuring lightning discharges and dominated by dry snow account for about 82% of all, while the ratio for the region featuring lightning discharges and dominated by graupel account for about 11%. Most graupel-dominating regions associate with lightning discharges are located between 4 km and 8 km layers. This may be related to the weak convection in the cell dominated by warm cloud precipitation. Total lightning rate show relatively significant correlations with the 30 dBZ radar echo top height and volumes of the regions where radar echoes are greater than 20 dBZ and heights are larger than -20℃ level. The average height of lightning discharges is well related with the 20 dBZ radar echo top height and volumes of regions where radar echoes are greater than 30 dBZ and heights are larger than -20℃ level. Relative prominent corresponding relationship is also found between total flash frequency and maximum precipitation intensity. Meanwhile, the rainfall per flash is in the order of 107 kg/fl.
  • Fig. 1  The radar composite reflectivity factor at 0006 BT, 0130 BT and 0300 BT on 7 May 2017

    (the origin of distance coordinate is located at the position of Guangzhou radar (black star), black triangles indicate 10 substations involved in LFEDA, two black concentric circles centered on Guangzhou radar indicate 50 and 100 km ranges from radar center, and red circle indicates the 100 km range of LFEDA network center, the purple ellipse indicates analyzed cells, black dots are lightning pulse discharge events (LPDE), the white solid line represents the position of vertical cross sections)

    Fig. 2  Vertical cross sections of Guangzhou radar variable at 0006 BT, 0130 BT and 0300 BT on 7 May 2017

    (gray dots represent lightning pulse discharge event(LPDE) within 5 km of vertical cross sections (the solid white line in Fig. 1), dashed black lines indicate the height of 0, -10, -20, -30℃ and -40℃ isotherms, which provided by Qingyuan sounding at 2000 BT 6 May 2017)

    Fig. 3  Evolution of frequencies of LPDE and flashes in the investigated cell during

    0000-0400 BT on 7 May 2017 (time interval is 6 min)

    Fig. 4  Lightning activity in the investigated cell during 0000—0400 BT on 7 May 2017

    (a)density of LPDE as a function of height and time (time interval is 6 min, height interval is 1 km, the initiation of upward negative initial leader(UNIL) and downward negative initial leader(DNIL) and positive cloud-to-ground lightning flashes and negative cloud-to-ground lightning flashes are superposed, dashed black lines labelled the isotherms of 0, -10, -20, -30℃ and -40℃ obtained from Qingyuan sounding at 2000 BT 6 May 2017), (b)height distributions of LPDE and initiation dots of UNIL and DNIL

    Fig. 5  Proportions of radar grid boxes with different-type hydrometeors in LPDE position at different heights in the investigated cell during 0000-0400 BT on 7 May 2017

    Fig. 6  Proportions of radar grid boxes dominantly featured by graupel and dry snow and the frequency of LPDE at different heights in the investigated cell during 0000-0400 BT on 7 May 2017

    Fig. 7  Time-sequence changes of lightning activity and echo parameters in the investigated cell during 0000-0400 BT on 7 May 2017 (data processed by five-point moving average, dashed black lines indicate heights of 0, -10, -20, -30℃ and -40℃ isotherms, which provided by Qingyuan sounding at 2000 BT 6 May 2017)

    (a)total flash frequency versus 30 dBZ radar echo top height, (b)total flash frequency versus volumes of regions with radar echoes above 20 dBZ in different height ranges (V0, V-10, V-15, V-20 and Vall represent 0, -10, -15, -20℃ layer and the cell, respectively), (c)average height of LPDE versus 20 dBZ radar echo top height, (d)average height of LPDE versus volumes of regions with radar echoes above 30 dBZ in different height ranges

    Fig. 8  Time-sequence changes of lightning frequency and precipitation characteristics in the investigated cell during 0000-0400 BT on 7 May 2017 (data processed by five-point moving average)

    (a)total flash frequency versus maximum precipitation intensity, (b)total flash frequency and rainfall quantity in the regions where the rain rate greater than 2 mm·h-1 and 20 mm·h-1, respectively

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    • Received : 2019-10-26
    • Accepted : 2020-01-09
    • Published : 2020-03-31

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