STRUCTURE FEATURES AND COMPOSITE ANALYSIS OF CONVECTIVE CELLS IN A WARM SECTOR HEAVY RAINFALL EVENT OVER SOUTHERN CHINA

This paper uses the ARW-WRF model to carry out a numerical simulation of a warm-sector heavy rainfall event over southern China on the 22–C23 May, 2014. A composite analysis method was used to analyze the evolution process and structural features of the convective cells on a convection line during this rainfall event. This analysis identified three stages: (1) Stage of activation: the equivalent potential temperature surfaces as lower layers start to bulge and form warm cells and weak vertical convective cloud towers which are subject to the impact of low-level warm moist updrafts in the rainfall sector; (2) Stage of development: the warm cells continue to bulge and form warm air columns and the convective cloud towers develop upwards becoming stronger as they rise; (3) Stage of maturity: the warm air columns start to connect with the stable layer in the upper air; the convective cloud tower will bend and tilt westward with each increasing in height, and the convection cell is characterized by a “crescent-shaped echo” above the 700hPa plane. During this stage the internal temperature of the cell is higher than the ambient temperature and the dynamic structural field is manifested as intensive vertical upward movement. The large-value centers of the northerly and westerly winds in the middle layer correspond to the warm moist center in the cells and the relatively cold center south of the warm air column. Further analysis shows that the formation of the “crescent-shaped” convective cell is associated with horizontal vorticity. Horizontal vorticity in the center and west of the warm cell experiences stronger cyclonic and anticyclonic shear transformation over time; this not only causes the original suborbicular cell echo shape to develop into a crescent-like shape, but also makes a convection line consisting of cells that develop to the northwest.