Dry microbursts in weak weather backgrounds, due to their small scale and general lack of precipitation, are often difficult to observe using weather radar. On the night of 26 April 2023, a dry microburst occurred at the Yinchuan Airport. Based on conventional meteorological observations, Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) data, and the Doppler Wind Lidar data, an analysis was conducted on the causes and wind field structure of this microburst. It was found that (1) the sounding data indicated a DCAPE value of 880 J·kg⁻¹, which is important for forecasting the potential for dry microburst events; (2) the foehn from the Helan Mountains contributed to the occurrence of microburst weather at the Yinchuan Airport; (3) the Doppler Wind Lidar wind data showed distinct characteristics of the wind field during this microburst event, including a symmetric horizontal wind field structure, significant vertical downdraft velocities (reaching −5.76 m·s⁻¹), and low-level wind shear over the airport runway and its vicinity; and (4) effective monitoring of such microburst weather events with the Doppler Wind Lidar wind measurements is crucial for ensuring aviation safety.

In July 2023, Baoding in Hebei Province experienced unprecedented torrential rainfall, breaking historical records and causing severe flooding. However, our understanding of the multi-scale circulation systems and physical mechanisms driving this extreme precipitation event remains incomplete. This study utilizes multi-source observational data and the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) numerical model to conduct a weather diagnosis and numerical simulation of this extreme rainfall event, focusing on the impact of atmospheric rivers (ARS) and urban rooftop roughness on the precipitation process against the background of climate warming. The study found that this extremely heavy rainstorm occurred in the circulation background formed by the factors of subtropical high ectopics, typhoon residual vortex retention, double typhoon water-vapor transmission, and stable high-level divergence. The ARS provided abundant moisture, with its vapor pathway significantly altered following the landfall of Typhoon Doksuri. The interaction between the ARS and the Taihang Mountains was crucial in triggering and intensifying the rainstorm in the foothills. Urbanization significantly affected the distribution of precipitation, with moderate urban roughness enhancing rainfall in and around the city, whereas excessive roughness suppressed it. These results contribute to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms behind extreme precipitation under climate change and provide a scientific basis for improving the forecasting and mitigation of such events.

Progress in numerical models and improved computational capabilities have significantly advanced our comprehension of how aerosol particles impact thunderstorm clouds. Yet, much of this research has focused on employing bulk microphysics models to explain the impacts of aerosol particles acting as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) on electrical activities in thunderstorm clouds. The bulk thunderstorm models use mean sizes of particles and terminal-fall velocities. This causes calculation deviation in the electrification simulation, which in turn leads to deviations in the simulation of lightning processes. Developing this further, we established a three-dimensional high-resolution cloud–aerosol bin thunderstorm model with electrification and lightning to provide more accurate microphysics and dynamic fields for studying electrical activities. For evaluating the impacts of aerosol particles, specifically CCN, on the properties of continental thunderclouds, aerosols from both clean and polluted continental environments were selected. Cloud simulations indicate that droplets develop a narrower spectrum in polluted continental conditions, and weakened ice crystal growth increases the number of small ice crystals compared to clean conditions. Smaller droplets and ice crystals result in less effective riming and decreased graupel concentration and mass. Consequently, a significant decrease in large ice particles leads to a weakened process of charge separation under conditions of pollution. As a direct result, there is about a 43% reduction in lightning frequency and a delay of approximately 5 min in the lightning process under polluted conditions.