INHOMOGENEOUS FEATURES IN ME1-YU FRONTAL CLOUD SYSTEM

The structure of radar echo in stratiform cloud which was found in mei-yu frontal cloud system is generally inhomogeneous, especially in the structure of bright band echoes. The inhomogeneous structure of warm region in stratiform cloud and the shower feature of precipitation are closely related to the inhomogeneous structure of bright band and convective cells embedded in stratiform cloud.During Summer time the mei-yu cloud system is an important precipitating system in the southern part of China. To study its structure is of great significance for weather forecast and understanding the physical processes of cloud and precipitation. Therefore, we have observed mei-yu frontal cloud system by use of 711 type radar (3 cm) and airplane at Tunxi, Anhui Province since 1979. It was found that the structure of stratiform cloud, especially the structure of its warm region appears to be inhomogeneous1),2). This is a significant feature of cloud structure in mei-yu frontal cloud system. In this paper, we shall further analyse this inhomogeneous structure of stratiform cloud and study its effect on the precipitation.