ISSN 1006-9895

CN 11-1768/O4

Numerical Simulation of the Relationships between Lightning and Liquid/Solid Precipitation
Author:
Affiliation:

Fund Project:

  • Article
  • |
  • Figures
  • |
  • Metrics
  • |
  • Reference
  • |
  • Related
  • |
  • Cited by
  • |
  • Materials
    Abstract:

    In order to further understand the differences between lightning and solid/liquid precipitation relationships, a three-dimensional dynamics-electrification coupled model is used to perform sensitivity tests to research the characteristics of lightning and precipitation. The vertical wind upon which lightning and precipitation rely, the spatial and temporal distribution of lightning and solid/liquid precipitation, and rain-yields per flash(RPF) are analyzed in this paper. The results show that the liquid precipitation accounts for the most part of total precipitation, but the solid precipitation is more dependent on vertical wind velocity than liquid precipitation. With the development of convection, the proportion of solid precipitation is increasing. The time of first discharge and the beginning and peak values of liquid and solid precipitation are more advanced. The peak value of lightning lags behind vertical wind and the lightning number first increases then decreases. The liquid precipitation starts before solid precipitation. The first discharge lags behind the beginning of liquid precipitation, but occurs before solid precipitation, or they occur at the same time. The most flashes in the thunderstorms are negative, and the positive and negative leaders' channel projections are located in the slight precipitation area where the leading edge of the heavy precipitation area is. Lightning rarely occurs in the heavy precipitation area. The enhanced convection enlarges the precipitation area and increases the precipitation intensity. Because the amount of liquid precipitation is much more than solid precipitation, there is an order of magnitude difference between the solid RPF and liquid RPF. The growth rates of liquid and solid precipitation are close. The more lightning takes place in unit time, the smaller the RPF is. The relationship between solid precipitation and lightning could be utilized in lightning forecasts, because solid RPF is much more relative to lightning than liquid RPF. The results of this paper offer a further understanding of the relationship between lightning and precipitation, and also suggest a new line of thought regarding lightning forecasts.

    Reference
    Related
    Cited by
Get Citation
Share
Article Metrics
  • Abstract:
  • PDF:
  • HTML:
  • Cited by:
History
  • Received:September 12,2014
  • Revised:December 18,2014
  • Adopted:
  • Online: November 12,2015
  • Published: