The Impacts of Hydrometeors and Water Vapor in Stratiform Region on the Evolutions of MCSs and Embedded Convective Cells in a Pre-Summer Rainfall Event Over South China

Both the stratiform and convective regions play important roles in the development of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs). In this study, the impacts of hydrometeors and water vapor in stratiform region on the evolution of MCSs during a heavy rainfall event over South China are investigated by the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model with Thompson microphysics. A series of sensitivity experiments including the reductions of water vapor to 95%, 80% (water vapor sensitivity experiments), and the reductions of hydrometeor mixing ratios to 10% (hydrometeor sensitivity experiments) in stratiform region are conducted, respectively. Results show that the control run reasonably reproduces the spatial distribution and temporal evolution of convective rainbands. The hydrometeor flux convergence partly indicates the changes of convection organization and movement direction. The intensities of precipitation and MCSs are significantly weakened by decreasing moisture advection to convective region in water vapor sensitivity experiments, but are a little weaker in hydrometeor sensitivity experiments. The enhanced water vapor advection and reduced sedimentation and evaporation of rain water in hydrometeor sensitivity experiments are responsible for the restoration of stratiform cloud. The stratiform region with more hydrometeors is generally more conducive to the development of convection than less one when they are at the same evolution stage. However, it is found that stronger convective cell can also exist in the stratiform region with less hydrometeors that is generated by the old convection cloud and at its dissipating stage, owing to the more transfer of water vapor and hydrometeors from stratiform to convective regions.