Detection, Mechanism, and Forecasting of Lightning and Thunderstorms

Thunderstorms are severe convective weather systems generating lightning, which can lead to various catastrophic weather when a large amount of lightning is produced. In the past decade, high spatiotemporal resolution lightning detection technology has been developed quickly, which has laid important foundation of the study of propagation and mechanisms of lightning, as well as the physical effects of lightning. Combined with Doppler dual polarization weather radar and high-resolution numerical models, thunderstorm dynamics, microphysics, electricity processes, and their interrelationships have been well investigated, and some new insights into the thunderstorm charge distribution and its relation to the thunderstorm structure have been obtained. All these have promoted the establishment of lightning forecasting method and data assimilation scheme for improving thunderstorm forecasting. This paper reviews the recent research progress in detection, mechanism, and forecasting of thunderstorm and lightning in China in last decade from four aspects, including 1) high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) lightning mapping technology and application, 2) lightning in different thunderstorms and its relationship with cloud dynamical and microphysical processes, 3) observation and simulation of thunderstorm charge structure, and 4) lightning prediction and lightning data assimilation for thunderstorm forecasting. Some of the major frontiers and challenges remaining in lightning and thunderstorms studies are also highlighted.