Simulation of the evolution of the latent heat processes in a mesoscale convective system accompanied by heavy rainfall over the Guangzhou region of South China

Abstract

A cloud-scale WRF simulation was used to investigate the cloud microphysical processes and three-dimensional structure of latent heat budgets in different stages of a mesoscale convective system (MCS) accompanied by heavy rain that occurred in the Guangzhou region of South China. The results enable us to draw the following conclusions: (1) During the development and mature stages, the main heating processes were condensation below 400 hPa and deposition above 400 hPa. The main cooling processes were evaporation and melting. During the dissipation stage, all the microphysical processes were weak. (2) Water vapor condensed into cloud water, and rainwater significantly contributed to all stages of the MCS. (3) During every stage of the MCS, the primary cooling microphysical process was the evaporation of rainwater, which was maximum during the mature stage.

Keywords

• Mesoscale convective system
• microphysical process
• latent heat budget