Evolution characteristics and mechanism of meso-γ-scale vortex in an atypical bow echo in the North China Plain

On June 25, 2020, an atypical bow echo (ATBE) accompanied by a meso-γ-scale vortex (MV) incurred the strongest gust (41.4 m s −1 ) recorded since 1957 in the North China Plain. In this article, we investigate the evolution characteristics of MV and its mechanism for the extreme wind by using the observation data of Doppler weather radar and automatic weather stations as well as the four-dimensional Variational Doppler Radar Analysis System (VDRAS). The results show that the MV in this process was initially born at a height of 0.9–2.4 km, and the contracting and stretching vertical vortex rapidly descended to surface from the 2.0 km height with the rotation speed increasing rapidly. Six minutes later, the extreme wind occurred. The generation mechanism of the MV is that, under the strong vertical wind shear and downdraft in the lower troposphere, the vertical vortex tube of MV was transformed from the horizontal vortex tube generated in the zone of perturbation temperature gradient. The influence mechanism of MV on the extreme wind is that, as the MV continued to intensify and extend downward, a negative perturbation low-pressure center formed in the lower troposphere near the MV. Meanwhile, the descending rear-inflow jet (RIJ) was blocked by the prefrontal upward motion and a positive perturbation high-pressure center formed at around 1 km height. The violent positive-negative couplets of perturbation pressure gradient produced a downward nonhydrostatic perturbation pressure gradient force (NPPGF) that further intensified the vertical downward velocity. In addition to the strong downdraft velocity, the Coriolis force also enhanced the formation of the extreme wind through the action of ageostrophic winds. Besides, this paper also compares the mechanism of this process with that of a typical bow echo MV and the extreme wind it affected. • The VDRAS combines high-resolution observation data to document the evolution processes and mechanism of an atypical bow echo (ATBE) meso-γ-scale vortex (MV) over North China Plain. • The horizontal vortex was solenoidally generated by the baroclinic zone across cold pool, with the strong low-level wind shear and downdraft forced horizontal vortex tube tilted into vertical vortex tube, which manifested as a “top-down” development process. • The locally extreme wind was forced primarily by the dynamically induced downward nonhydrostatic perturbation pressure gradient force while the Coriolis forcing also play a role, even though the RIJ was not reaching the surface.