The Rainfall Responses of Typhoon Soudelor (2015) to Radiative Processes of Cloud Species

In this study, a three-dimensional Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is used to conduct sensitivity experiments of Typhoon Soudelor in 2015 to examine rainfall responses to radiative effects of five cloud species. Time and model domain mean analysis shows that the radiative effects of cloud ice and snow on rainfall are significantly stronger than those of cloud water, raindrops and graupel.

The inclusion of radiative effects of cloud ice increases stability and reduces upward motions by reducing radiative cooling, which produces the reduction in vertical mass divergence and suppresses heat divergence. The reductions in rainfall associated release of latent heat correspond to the reduced heat divergence. The inclusion of radiative effects of snow reduces stability and increases upward motions below 12 km by suppressing radiative cooling below 9 km and enhancing radiative cooling above 9 km, which increases vertical mass divergence. The increases in rainfall net condensation correspond to the increase in heat divergence.