Detection Analysis of Microphysical Structure of Stratiform Cloud in Shanxi Province

A precipitation process in Shanxi Province during 18-19 June 2009 is analyzed using data from airborne Droplet Measurement Technologies observations, synoptic charts, and satellite cloud photographs. The results show that the precipitation process can be described as typical cold-front cloud precipitation. In the prefrontal zone on 18 June, the cloud base was low, and thick clouds with a strong updraft existing cloud-free area. The maximum number concentration and maximum mean diameter of the cloud droplets were 280 cm?3 and 15 μm, respectively. The maximum cloud liquid water content (LWC) was 0.35 g/m³, and the cloud droplet spectra are mostly bimodal and multimodal. In the post-frontal zone on 19 June, the cloud base was high, and the clouds were thin. The maximum number concentration and maximum mean diameter of cloud droplets were 170 cm?3 and 10 μm, respectively. The maximum cloud LWC was 0.05 g/m³, and the cloud droplet spectra are mostly bimodal and multimodal. The stratiform clouds in the vertical and horizontal directions were inhomogeneous. The diameter of the cloud droplets changed when the LWC changed in the vertical direction, and the LWC in the horizontal direction increased mainly because of the increase in the number density of large cloud droplets. The results of Γ distribution fitting of the cloud droplet spectra were close to the actual distribution.