Abstract
The strong heavy rainfall on 3–5 July 2003 causing the severe flooding in Huaihe River basin (HRB), China is studied. It is noted that there are sometimes mesoscale convective vortex (MCV) in East Asia during the mei-yu season. Simulation results from the ARPS (Advanced Regional Prediction) data analysis system (ADAS) and WRF model were used to study the development of the mesoscale convective system (MCS) and mesoscale convective vortex (MCV). It is confirmed that the MCV formed during the development of a previous severe MCS. A closed vortex circulation can be found below 600 hPa with a vorticity maximum in the middle troposphere. The evolution process of the MCV can be divided into three stages: initiation, maturation, and dissipation. During the mature stage of the MCV, a downdraft occurred in the center of the MCV and new convection developed in southeast of the MCV. The convergence and the tilting in the lower troposphere convergence and vertical advection in the middle troposphere were the main vorticity sources in the MCV initiation stage. Finally, a conceptual model between the mei-yu front and the embedded MCS and MCV is proposed. The mei-yu front was the background condition for the development of the MCS and MCV. A low level jet (LLJ) transported moisture and the weak cold air invasion via a trough aloft in the middle troposphere and triggering the severe convection. Furthermore, the intensified jet was able to result in the initiation of new “secondary” areas of convection in the eastern part of the MCV.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bartels, D. L., and R. A. Maddox, 1991: Midlevel cyclonic vortices generated by mesoscale convective systems. Mon. Wea. Rev., 119, 104–118.
Bei, N. F., S. X. Zhao, and S. T. Gao, 2002: Numerical simulation of a heavy rainfall event in China during July 1998. Meteor. Atmos. Phys., 80, 153–164.
Chen, F., and J. Dudhia, 2001: Coupling an advanced land surface-hydrology model with the Penn State-NCAR MM5 modeling system. Part I: Model implementation and sensitivity. Mon. Wea. Rev., 129, 569–585.
Davis, C., and Coauthors, 2004: The Bow Echo and MCV Experiment: Observations and opportunities. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 85, 1075–1093.
Davis, C. A., and S. B. Trier, 2007: Mesoscale convective vortices observed during BAMEX. Part I: Kinematic and thermodynamic Structure. Mon. Wea. Rev., 135, 2029–2049.
Ding, Y. H., 1993: Study on the Lasting Heavy Rainfalls over the Yangtze-Huaihe River Basin in 1991. Beijing, Chinese Meteorological Press, 255pp. (in Chinese)
Dudhia, J., 1989: Numerical study of convection observed during the winter monsoon experiment using a mesoscale two-dimensional model. J. Atmos. Sci., 46, 3077–3107.
Fritsch, J. M., J. D. Murphy, and J. S. Kain, 1994: Warm core vortex amplification over land. J. Atmos. Sci., 51, 1780–1807.
Johnston, E. C., 1981: Mesoscale vorticity centers induced by mesoscale convective complexes. M.S. thesis, Dept. of Meteorology, University of Wisconsin—Madison, 54pp. [Available from University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1225 W. Dayton St., Madison, WI 53706-1695.]
Johnson, R. H., S. Chen, and J. J. Toth, 1989: Circulations associated with a mature-to-decaying midlatitude mesoscale convective system. Part I: Surface features—Heat bursts and mesolow development. Mon. Wea. Rev., 117, 942–959.
Jorgensen, D. P., and B. F. Smull, 1993: Mesovortex circulations seen by airborne Doppler radar within a bow-echo mesoscale convective system. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 74, 2146–2157.
Kain, J. S., and J. M. Fritsch, 1992: The role of convective “trigger function” in numerical forecasts of mesoscale convective systems. Meteor. Atmos. Phys., 49, 93–106.
Kain, J. S., and J. M. Fritsch, 1998: Multiscale convective overturning in mesoscale convective systems: Reconciling observations, simulations, and theory. Mon. Wea. Rev., 126, 2254–2273.
Kato, K., 1985: On the Abrupt Change in the Structure of the Baiu Front Over the China Continent in Late May of 1979. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan, 63, 20–36.
Leary, C. A., and E. N. Rappaport, 1987: The life cycle and internal structure of a mesoscale convective complex. Mon. Wea. Rev., 115, 1503–1527.
Lin, Y.-L., R. D. Farley, and H. D. Orville, 1983: Bulk parameterization of the snow field in a cloud model. J. Clim. Appl. Meteor., 22, 1065–1092.
Ninomiya, K., 2000: Large- and meso-a-scale characteristics of Meiyu-Baiu front associated with intense rainfalls in 1–10 July 1991. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan, 78, 141–157.
Ninomiya, K., and T. A Kiyama, 1974: Band structure of meso-scale echo clusters associated with low-level jet stream. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan, 52, 300–313.
Ninomiya, K., and H. Muraki, 1986: Large-scale circulations over East Asia during Baiu period of 1979. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan, 64, 409–429.
Noh, Y., W. G. Cheon, S.-Y. Hong, and S. Raasch, 2003: Improvement of the K-profile model for the planetary boundary layer based on large eddy simulation data. Bound. Layer Meteor., 107, 401–427.
Skamarock, W. C., M. L. Weisman, and J. B. Klemp, 1994: Three-dimensional evolution of simulated long-lived squall lines. J. Atmos. Sci., 51, 2563–2584.
Skamarock, W. C., J. B. Klemp, J. Dudhia, D. O. Gill, D. M. Barker, W. Wang, and J. G. Powers, 2005: A Description of the Advanced Research WRF Version 2. NCAR Technical Note TN-468+STR, 88pp.
Smull, B. F., and R. A. Houze Jr., 1985: A midlatitude squall line with a trailing region of stratiform rain: Radar and satellite observations. Mon. Wea. Rev., 113, 117–133.
Sun, J. H., X. L. Zhang, L. L. Qi, G. Y. Zhang, S. X. Zhao, and S. Y. Tao, 2004: A study on vortex and its mesoscale convective system during China Heavy Rainfall Experiment and Study in 2002. Chinese J. Atmos. Sci., 28(5), 675–691. (in Chinese)
Sun, J. H., X. L. Zhang, L. L. Qi, and S. X. Zhao, 2005: An analysis of a meso-β system in a Mei-yu front using the intensive observation data during CHeRES 2002. Adv. Atmos. Sci., 22(2), 278–289.
Tao, S. Y., 1980: Heavy Rainfalls in China. Science Press, Beijing, 1–225. (in Chinese)
Trier, S. B., C. A. Davis, and J. D. Tuttle, 2000: Long-lived mesoconvective vortices and their environment. Part I: Observations from the central United States during the 1998 warm season. Mon. Wea. Rev., 128, 3376–3395.
Weisman, M. L., and C. A. Davis, 1998: Mechanisms for the generation of mesoscale vortices within quasilinear convective systems. J. Atmos. Sci., 55, 2603–2622.
Xue, M., D.-H. Wang, J.-D. Gao, K. Brewster, and K. K. Droegemeire, 2003: The advanced regional prediction system (ARPS), storm-scale numerical weather prediction and data assimilation. Meteor. Atmos. Phys., 82, 139–170.
Zhang, D. L., and J. M. Fritsch, 1988a: Numerical sensitivity experiments of varying model physics on structure, evolution and dynamics of two mesoscale convective systems. J. Atmos. Sci., 45, 261–293.
Zhang, D. L., and J. M. Fritsch,, 1988b: A numerical investigation of a convectively generated, inertially stable, extratropical warm-core mesovortex over land. Part I: Structure and evolution. Mon. Wea. Rev., 116, 2660–2687.
Zhang, J., 1999: Moisture and diabatic initialization based on radar and satellite observation. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Oklahoma, 194pp. [Available from School of Meteorology, University of Oklahoma, Norman OK 73019.]
Zhang, Q. Y., H. J. Wang, Z. H. Lin, J. H. Sun, X. L. Zhang, and J. Wei, 2004: The Mechanism of Abnormal Weather and Climate in China—2003. China Meteorological Press, Beijing, 170pp. (in Chinese)
Zhao, S. X., Z. Y. Tao, J. H. Sun, and N. F. Bei, 2004: Study on Mechanism of Formation and Development of Heavy Rainfalls on Meiyu Front in Yangtze River (In Chinese). China Meteorological Press, Beijing, 282pp. (in Chinese)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sun, J., Zhao, S., Xu, G. et al. Study on a mesoscale convective vortex causing heavy rainfall during the mei-yu season in 2003. Adv. Atmos. Sci. 27, 1193–1209 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-009-9156-6
Received:
Revised:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-009-9156-6