大气科学学报2026，Vol.49Issue(3)：517-528,12.DOI:10.13878/j.cnki.dqkxxb.20250422003
中国南方内陆强降水条件下闪电活动和大气廓线的协同关系分析
Synergistic relationship between lightning activity and atmospheric profiles under heavy rainfall conditions in inland southern China
摘要
Abstract
Lightning activity is closely associated with deep convective systems and serves as an effective indica-tor of convective intensity.Understanding the relationship between lightning and precipitation is essential for im-proving severe weather forecasting.However,this relationship is complex,particularly due to the pronounced vari-ability in lightning activity under heavy rainfall conditions.Atmospheric moisture and temperature stratification are two key factors controlling atmospheric instability,and their vertical structures play critical roles in thunderstorm electrification and discharge processes.This study therefore investigates the synergistic relationship between light-ning activity and atmospheric profiles during heavy rainfall events,with the aim of improving forecasting and early warning capabilities for heavy precipitation and lightning hazards. This study first examines the regional characteristics of heavy precipitation and lightning activity in inland southern China.The K-means clustering method is then applied to identify relationships between lightning activity and atmospheric profile characteristics during heavy rainfall events.Finally,multiple linear regression is used to as-sess the sensitivity of lightning activity to different atmospheric stratification factors.The results reveal clear re-gional differences in heavy precipitation characteristics.The northwestern(100°—105°E,25°—30°N)and south-western(100°—105°E,22.5°—27.5°N)regions are characterized by heavy rainfall events with relatively small spatial extent but high precipitation intensity.Incontrast,the northeastern(105°—115°E,25°—30°N)and south-eastern(105°—115°E,22.5°—27.5°N)regions exhibit events with broader spatial coverage but lower intensity. A common feature across all four regions is that heavy rainfall events are generally associated with relatively low lightning flash rates.Nevertheless,lightning activity during these events is strongly correlated with the vertical thermal and moisture structure of the atmosphere.Under conditions of frequent lightning,the relative humidity pro-file shows a pronounced vertical gradient,with high humidity in the lower troposphere(below 850 hPa)and sig-nificantly lower humidity in the mid-to-upper troposphere(500-400 hPa).In addition,cloud liquid water content is high and concentrated near 800 hPa,while cloud ice water content exhibits a pronounced peak near 200 hPa.In-contrast,when lightning activity is weak,lower-tropospheric humidity is reduced and shows less contrast with mid-level humidity,cloud liquid water content is lower and more vertically uniform,and the peak of cloud ice content occurs at lower altitudes. The sensitivity of lightning flash rates to atmospheric thermodynamic parameters also exhibits regional de-pendence.In the northwestern and southwestern regions,lightning activity is primarily controlled by lower-tropo-spheric relative humidity(1 000-800 hPa).In the northeastern region,the mean temperature between 1 000 and 200 hPa plays a dominant role.In the southeastern region,the lapse rate of relative humidity in the mid-to-upper troposphere(500-400 hPa)shows the strongest correlation with lightning activity. Overall,this study systematically elucidates the relationship between lightning activity and the vertical ther-mal-moisture structure of the atmosphere during heavy rainfall events in inland southern China.The results high-light the diagnostic value of atmospheric profiles for lightning activity and provide a scientific basis for improving severe weather forecasting and early warning.Future research will extend this analysis to all-weather conditions to further clarify the response of lightning activity to atmospheric thermodynamic structures,thereby enhancing pre-dictive capabilities for meteorological hazards.关键词
强降水/闪电频次/大气垂直廓线/聚类分析Key words
heavy precipitation/lightning frequency/atmospheric vertical profiles/cluster analysis引用本文复制引用
沈晓旭,陈国兴,张义军..中国南方内陆强降水条件下闪电活动和大气廓线的协同关系分析[J].大气科学学报,2026,49(3):517-528,12.基金项目
国家自然科学基金项目(U234220084) （U234220084）
