Observational Analysis of a Wind Gust Event during the Merging of a Bow Echo and Mini-Supercell in Southeastern China
Hui Zheng,
Yuchun Zhao,
Yipeng Huang,
Wei Zhang,
Changrong Luo,
Ming Wei,
Xinfa Qiu
Affiliations
Hui Zheng
School of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Yuchun Zhao
State Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Science and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (LASG), Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
Yipeng Huang
Xiamen Key Laboratory of Straits Meteorology, Xiamen Meteorological Bureau, Xiamen 361013, China
Wei Zhang
Xiamen Key Laboratory of Straits Meteorology, Xiamen Meteorological Bureau, Xiamen 361013, China
Changrong Luo
Xiamen Key Laboratory of Straits Meteorology, Xiamen Meteorological Bureau, Xiamen 361013, China
Ming Wei
Collaborative Innovation Center for Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Xinfa Qiu
School of Geographic Sciences, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
The merging of a fast-moving bow echo with a convective cell of a hook-echo signature was studied by using polarimetric radar detections. Gusts with wind speeds near 35 m s−1 were recorded by the surface station, which caused significant damage. A convective cell with a mesovortex signature, which is hereafter referred to as a mini-supercell, was observed over the northeast of the bow echo before the convective merging. It was found that the mesovortex possessed cyclonic circulation and resembled a supercell-like feature. The merging of the bow echo and the mini-supercell strengthened the updraft near the apex of the bow echo. The enhanced updraft was also demonstrated by the appearance of a differential reflectivity (ZDR) column with a topmost height of 4 km above the melting layer (~4 km). The bow was separated into northern and southern sectors after merging with the mini-supercell, leading to the gusty wind over the surface of the south sector.
