Statistical Characteristics of Convective Clouds over the Western Ghats Derived from Weather Radar Observations

Research reveals that convective storms over the Western Ghats exhibit distinct orographic responses and diurnal patterns during the monsoon season, with increased frequency along windward mountains due to southwesterly flows. Storms progress eastward from upstream barriers through windward slopes to leeward sides, showing a pronounced afternoon peak in activity while their area maximum lags precipitation flux by hours. Storm characteristics, such as area, height, and duration, follow lognormal distributions, with shallow convection (peaking at 5.5 km) dominating the region. Cells move slowly, aligning east-west parallel to mountain ridges, and their movement is steered by lower-level winds. A lead-lag relationship between congestus and deep cells suggests midtropospheric moistening prior to deep convection. The study used X-band radar observations at Mandhardev (2014) with objective-tracking methods to quantify storm spatiotemporal variability for the first time.

Utsav, B., Deshpande, S. M., Das, S. K., & Pandithurai, G. (2017). Statistical Characteristics of Convective Clouds over the Western Ghats Derived from Weather Radar Observations. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 122(18). Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016jd026183