On May 20 th 2007, a brief but severe downpour rainstorm occurred in the coastal areas of Maoming and Yangjiang with rainfall of 115 mm per hour. Data from NCEP/NCAR reanalysis with 1°×1° resolution, Doppler weather radar, conventional surface observations, high-altitude radiosonde and wind profiler radar were used to analyze characteristics and contributions of synoptic scale and mesoscale systems during this torrential rainstorm. The results showed that:(1) the storm was caused by a quasi-linear mesoscale convective system(MCS) and the slow-movement of this system was the primary trigger of the torrential downpour;(2) water vapor was abundant, nearly saturated and in steady state throughout the atmosphere before the storm; intrusion of the weak dry and cold air in the middle level and a striking "dry above and wet below " structure had increased the atmospheric instability;(3) low-level southwesterly airflow from a low pressure(trough) at the Beibu Gulf provided abundant water vapor at the onset of the rainstorm; a deep dry layer was formed by dry and cold air behind the high-level trough, which facilitated latent heat release;upper-level divergence and low-level convergence circulations also provided vertical uplift for warm and moist air at the lower level;(4) Topography only played a minor role as the MCS developed and strengthened over relatively flat coastal terrain. Low level density flow induced by convection triggered new convective cell generation at the leading edge of the convective system, thereby playing a key role in the change of temperature gradient at lower layers, and resulting in strengthening atmospheric instability.
The relationship between the factor of temperature difference of the near-surface layer(T_(1000 hPa)-T_(2m))and sea fog is analyzed using the NCEP reanalysis with a horizontal resolution of l°xl°(2000 to 2011) and the station observations(2010 to 2011).The element is treated as the prediction variable factor in the GRAPES model and used to improve the regional prediction of sea fog on Guangdong coastland.(1) The relationship between this factor and the occurrence of sea fog is explicit:When the sea fog happens,the value of this factor is always large in some specific periods,and the negative value of this factor decreases significantly or turns positive,suggesting the enhancement of warm and moist advection of air flow near the surface,which favors the development of sea fog.(2) The transportation of warm and moist advection over Guangdong coastland is featured by some stages and the jumping among these states.It also gets stronger over time.Meanwhile,the northward propagation of warm and moist advection is quite consistent with the northward advancing of sea fog from south to north along the coastland of China.(3) The GRAPES model can well simulate and realize the factor of near-surface temperature difference.Besides,the accuracy of regional prediction of marine fog,the relevant threat score and Heidke skill score are all improved when the factor is involved.
