From 29 June to 6 July 2016, China's Yangtze River Basin experienced heavy precipitation, causing more than 200 deaths and affecting tens of millions of people. Using ERA5 reanalysis, soundings, and satellite observations from FY‐2 and Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM), we reviewed this heavy rainfall event from the perspective of its meteorological triggers and the cloud microphysics. As the cloud system moved eastward from the Tibetan Plateau, precipitation particles got larger and denser, and the enhancement of stratiform precipitation contributed the most precipitation. The riming and aggregation processes, the dominant growth modes of particles, were significantly enhanced between 5.5 and 7 km. The increase in the echo‐top height had a considerable positive effect on the near‐surface particle size (from ~1.0 mm at 4 km to ~1.5 mm at 10 km), but this feature was not significant over the Tibetan Plateau. We suggest that the microphysics of this event was dominated by the combination of the eastward moving cloud system, which acted as continuous “seeder” cloud, and the increase in water vapor associated with the low‐level vortex and jet, which generated enhancing “feeder” cloud. The particles from the “seeder” cloud grew by the lower “feeder” cloud, thus increasing the particle size to enhance the precipitation. Overall, the generation and movement of such a cloud system is an important atmospheric disturbance for the generation of heavy precipitation downstream, and could be an early warning signal in the forecasting of heavy rainfall in China during the Meiyu period.

Based on matched scans from the FY‐4A satellite's Advanced Geostationary Radiation Imager (AGRI) and the NASA/JAXA Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory's Dual‐frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR), the microphysical mechanisms of the derived vertical evolution of cloud effective radius (R_e) and its correspondence with precipitation droplet growth modes are revealed in this study. The results show that there were two turning points in the R_e vertical evolution, which divided the R_e profile into solid‐phase, mixed‐phase, and liquid‐phase zones from top to bottom. There were also two turning points in the upper layer of DPR reflectivity, which showed good correspondence with R_e turning points in both height and physical sense. The main droplet growth modes in the three zones are nucleation/glaciation, deposition, and riming, respectively. The linkage between R_e vertical evolution and droplet growth modes would be useful in real‐time monitoring of cloud microphysical processes.

Landfalling tropical cyclones (TCs) in Northeast China are rare because of the region’s high latitude (>40°N). In 2020, Northeast China was affected by three TCs within half a month—the first time on record. We used the Global Precipitation Measurement orbital dataset to study the precipitation microphysics during the TC period in Northeast China in 2020 (2020-TC), and during September in this region from 2014 to 2019 (hereafter September 2014–September 2019). FY-4A was used to provide cloud top height (CTH). The results show that, compared with September 2014–September 2019, the 2020-TC precipitation has stronger precipitation ice productivity, weaker deposition efficiency, stronger riming, and stronger coalescence processes. The storm top height (STH), CTH, and the difference between the two (CTH-STH) are indicative of the near-surface droplet size distribution (DSD), but there are differences: STH and CTH-STH both correlate significantly with mean mass-weighted drop diameter, whereas only the positive correlation between CTH and normalized drop concentration parameter passes the significance test. These results reveal for the first time the precipitation microphysics of landfalling TCs in Northeast China, and allow discussion of the validity of convective intensity indicators from the perspective of DSD.

Previous studies have reported the large-scale meteorological conditions and dynamic causes of the extreme period of meiyu rainfall in 2020. However, the microphysical properties of meiyu precipitation during this period remain unclear. We used the Global Precipitation Measurement 2ADPR orbital precipitation dataset, the IMERG gridded precipitation dataset and the ERA5 reanalysis dataset to study the characteristics of meiyu precipitation over the Yangtze Plain during the extreme meiyu period in 2020 and historical meiyu periods from 2014 to 2019. The results showed that the average daily rainfall during the 2020 meiyu period was 1.5 times higher than the historical average as a result of the super-strong water vapor flux in the low- to mid-level layers of the atmosphere. The amplitude of nocturnal low-level water vapor transport during the 2020 meiyu period was twice the historical average and, therefore, the diurnal peak of meiyu rainfall at 0630 LST in 2020 was significantly earlier than the historical average. The moisture transport was the dominant moisture supply for precipitation during the 2020 meiyu period, whereas the moisture convection contributed less than in the meiyu periods of 2014–2019. This led to the precipitation in the 2020 meiyu period having a higher concentration of smaller droplets than the historical average. There were lower proportions of size-sorting evaporation and break-up processes in the liquid-phase precipitation processes in the 2020 meiyu than the historical average, but a higher proportion of coalescence processes. These results provide a factual basis for the simulation and forecast of precipitation during extreme meiyu periods.

On 16 September 2018, the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) experienced heavy precipitation, with the local daily precipitation exceeding 250 mm. Using ERA5 reanalysis data and satellite observations from the GPM, we review this heavy rain event in terms of its meteorological triggers and water vapor transport. As the high-level water vapor produced by Typhoon Mangkhut continued to be transported northward, the precipitation in the YRD gradually increased, and stratus precipitation played a major role in this event. The high-level water vapor continued to be transported northward to the east of Taiwan Island without falling, so heavy precipitation did not appear to the east of Taiwan Island. In the present study, we suggest that the meteorological trigger of this event was mainly the gradual falling of ice particles moving northward from a high altitude. The high-level ice particles originated from the “water tower” at the center of Typhoon Mangkhut, which pumped low-level water vapor into the high-level water vapor. In general, the appearance of abnormal values of high-level water vapor transport is an important atmospheric disturbance related to heavy precipitation in the downstream areas of high-level wind, and the typhoon water tower can be used as an important forecast signal for long-distance heavy precipitation in China during the active typhoon period.