ISSN 1000-0526
CN 11-2282/P
CN 11-2282/P
Radar Climatology Characteristics of Convective Storms under Different Prevailing Winds during Warm Season in Northen Ningxia
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Abstract:
Northern Ningxia is situated in the temperate continental climate zone of northwestern China, where complex topography and the climatological characteristics of warm-season convective storms (CS) remain not fully understood. This study utilizes CINRAD/CD radar products and sounding data from Yinchuan during May–September from 2011 to 2016 to investigate the climatological characteristics of CS in northern Ningxia under different prevailing wind directions at 500 hPa and 700 hPa. For the first time in this research domain, we present a comprehensive analysis integrating mean circulation patterns, convective environments, and CS intensity. Results demonstrate that solar radiative heating and topographic forcing from the Helan Mountains dominate the formation of CS climatological characteristics in northern Ningxia. Upon this foundation, dynamically varying prevailing winds induce more complex and diverse patterns in CS occurrence frequency, occurrence efficiency (defined as the ratio of CS occurrence frequency under a specific prevailing wind direction to the total frequency of that wind direction), diurnal variation, and spatial distribution. Notably, when southwesterly winds prevail at 500 hPa while easterly winds prevail at 700 hPa, the influence of prevailing winds becomes particularly pronounced. The mean 500 hPa circulation pattern associated with CS occurrence under a given prevailing wind direction characterizes the typical synoptic–scale systems and convective environments favorable for CS development under that flow regime, thereby directly determining CS occurrence efficiency and intensity. When northerly or northwesterly winds prevail at 500 hPa, northern Ningxia is positioned behind the trough, resulting in the lowest CS occurrence efficiency, the highest CAPE and CIN, and the strongest CS intensity. Under southerly or southwesterly wind regimes, the region is situated between the ridge and trough, where favorable moisture transport conditions lead to maximum CS occurrence efficiency; however, the minimal vertical temperature difference results in relatively weaker CS development. During prevailing westerly flows, the mid–latitude circulation exhibits zonal characteristics with frequent upstream shortwave trough activity, yielding intermediate levels of CS occurrence efficiency, CS intensity, and environmental parameters. At 700 hPa, differences in CS occurrence efficiency and intensity across various prevailing wind directions are relatively smaller, with CS intensity showing a strong correspondence to the vertical temperature gradient.
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