Radar climatology of summer convective activities over Zhengzhou City and its adjacent areas in 2017–2022

On the basis of radar network data from June–August 2017–2022, we investigate the radar climatological characteristics of convective activities corresponding to short-duration intense rainfall (SDIR) and thunderstorm gale (TG) patterns over Zhengzhou city and its surrounding areas. The results indicate that the high-frequency centres of convective activities vary by month. For the SDIR pattern, convection occurs most frequently in July, followed by August. The high-frequency centres of convective activities in June are located over the plain southeast of Zhengzhou, whereas those in July are distributed in the central urban area of Zhengzhou and in the transition region from the plain to the mountainous areas southwest of Zhengzhou. In August, the high-frequency centres are located in the foothill areas north and east of the Songshan Mountains. In terms of the TG pattern, convective activities are most vigorous in July, followed by June. The high-frequency centres of convective activities are located in the trumpet-shaped terrain of the Songshan Mountains during June and July, and in August, they are distributed in the Zhengzhou urban area and the plain east of it. The convective activities of the SDIR and TG patterns are frequent when the 500 hPa prevailing wind direction is west–southwesterly and west–northwesterly, respectively. During both weather patterns, the convective available potential energy and total precipitable water peak in July or August, and low-level convergence zones can provide information on the distribution of high-frequency areas of convective activities for both weather patterns. However, the influences of seasonal and other factors need to be considered when understanding the distribution characteristics of convective activities.