Microphysics of Convective and Stratiform Precipitation during the Summer Monsoon Season over the Yangtze–Huaihe River Valley, China

Abstract

Precipitation microphysics are critical for precipitation estimation and forecasting in numerical models. Using six years of observations from the Global Precipitation Measurement satellite, the spatial characteristics of precipitation microphysics are examined during the summer monsoon season over the Yangtze–Huaihe River valley. The results indicate that the heaviest convective rainfall is located mainly between the Huaihe and Yangtze Rivers, associated with a smaller mass-weighted mean diameter (Dm = ∼1.65 mm) and a larger mean generalized intercept parameter (Nw) (∼41 dBNw) at 2 km in altitude than those over the surrounding regions. Further, the convection in this region also has the lowest polarization-corrected temperature at 89 GHz (PCT89 < 254 K), indicating high concentrations of ice hydrometeors. For a given rainfall intensity, stratiform precipitation is characterized by a smaller mean Dm than convective precipitation. Below 4.5 km in altitude, the vertical slope of medium reflectivity factor varies with the rainfall intensity, which decreases slightly downward for light rain (<2.5 mm h−1), increases slightly for moderate rain (2.5–7.9 mm h−1), and increases more sharply for heavy rain (≥8 mm h−1) for both convective and stratiform precipitation. The increase in the amplitude of heavy rain for stratiform precipitation is much higher than that for convective precipitation, probably due to more efficient growth by warm rain processes. The PCT89 values have a greater potential to inform the near-surface microphysical parameters in convective precipitation compared with stratiform precipitation.