Abstract:
On June 1, 2023, five tornadoes occurred in the Liaoning Province. Multisource observations and ERA5 reanalysis data have been used to analyze the causes of the occurrence of multiple tornadoes. The main parameters that were studied include especially the environmental conditions, evolutionary characteristics, and possible formation mechanisms of the Fuxin-enhanced Fujita 1 scale and Kaiyuan-enhanced Fujita 2 scale tornado storms. The results of the study show that Liaoning is located in the southwest quadrant of the Northeast China Cold Vortex and on the southern side of the upper trough. The strong vertical temperature lapse rate between the surface (or 850 hPa) and 500 hPa is the key environmental condition factor behind this process. Fuxin, which is present in the northwest of Liaoning Province, is affected by the low-level shear line and dry line. Fuxin EF1 tornado storm is formed by the merger of two isolated storms generated on the dry line, characterized by hook echo, descending reflectivity core (DRC), and tornado vortex signature (TVS). The strong echo at the eastern side of the Fuxin EF1 tornado storm produces a strong cold pool with a temperature drop of more than 6°C in 1 h, and the outflow of the strong cold pool intersects with the dry line, forming a strong convergence on the edge of the strong cold pool. The Fuxin tornado is generated under the DRC and TVS when the hook echo moves to the strong convergence area. The northern part of Liaoning Province is located inside the low-level jet stream, where the vertical wind shear from 0 to 1 km is remarkably stronger. Multiple storms triggered on the ground convergence line quickly merge into a linear convective system. During the storm merger, multiple microcyclones appear on the ground convergence line, leading to four tornadoes in the northern part of Liaoning Province. Among these, the microcyclone causing the Kaiyuan tornado witnessed a western storm that produced a cold pool with a temperature drop of 10°C in 1 h. This cold pool forms a stronger outflow, intersecting with the ground convergence line to form a stronger convergence than that in Fuxin. When the microcyclones pass through the strong convergence area, the low-level rotation reaches the strongest of its life and first meets the TVS criteria, and and when influenced by the favorable environment, the Kaiyuan tornado is generated.