Analysis of a rare severe convective weather event in spring in Beijing of China

Abstract

On May 17, 2019, a rare severe convective weather occurred in Beijing, accompanied by local heavy rainstorm, hail, thunderstorm and gale. This severe convective weather occurred significantly earlier than normal years, bringing great challenge to the forecast. Using multiple observation data and radar four-dimensional variational assimilation products to analyze the triggering and development evolution of this severe convection. Under the conditions of no obvious weather scale system and local high potential unstable energy, the eastward advancement of the sea breeze front was the main factor triggering strong convection. As the northwest wind in the air increasing, the environmental conditions became stronger vertical wind shear, which was beneficial for the storm to maintain for a longer period of time. The supercell was the main cause of the convective weather. During the development of storms, they split into two parts and moved counterclockwise. The southern echo gradually weakened as it moved northward, while the northern echo moved southward, strengthening and developing into a super cell accompanied by a mesocyclone. The significant fluctuations in the height of the 0 ℃ layer within a small range resulted in different melting rates of hail during its descent, leading to the formation of spiky hail.