Abstract Using in situ aircraft observations, this study analyzes the evolution of dynamic, thermodynamic, and microphysical characteristics during the developing and mature stages of a bow echo associated with a squall line that occurred in Central China on 15–16, 2019. During this squall line event, the radar‐observed bow echo underwent multiple stages, including the formation and merging of convective cell clusters, the establishment of the bow echo structure, and its subsequent intensification. As the convective cell developed, a 0.3 km thick inversion layer within its core region elevated the melting layer by approximately 0.6 km, which not only promoted energy accumulation but also supplied ample supercooled water, favoring further intensification of the convective activity. This lifted more moisture and liquid water above the freezing level, further enhancing the ice‐phase processes such as freezing, riming, and deposition. Due to the concurrent action of riming and aggregation, ice crystals evolved rapidly from simple columns at the developing stage to capped columns, bullet rosettes, and even more complex planar‐columnar forms at the mature stage. The study further reveals that during the developing stage of the bow echo, ice particle habit exhibits a strong dependence on both temperature and supercooled liquid water content. Specifically, higher liquid water content (LWC) and warmer temperatures favored riming, while lower temperatures enhanced freezing and aggregation. In the mature stage, the crystal habit is much more dependent on temperature stratification rather than liquid water content. These findings enhance our understanding of the thermodynamic and microphysical structures of squall lines and their evolutionary mechanisms.
Li et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
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