Lightning and thunderstorms: detection, mechanism and prediction

Thunderstorms are severe convective weather systems generating lightning, which can lead to various catastrophic weather when a large amount of lightning is produced. In the past decade, high spatiotemporal resolution lightning detection technology has been developed quickly, which have laid important foundation of the study of propagation and mechanisms of lightning, as well as the physical effects of lightning. Combined with Doppler dual polarization weather radar and high-resolution numerical models, thunderstorm dynamics, microphysics, electricity processes and their interrelationships have been well investigated, and some new insight into the thunderstorm charge distribution and its relation to the thunderstorm structure has been obtained. All these have promoted the establishment of lightning forecasting and data assimilation for improving thunderstorm forecasting. This paper reviews the recent research progresses in the high-precision detection, mechanism and forecasting of thunderstorm and lightning in China in last decade from 4 aspects, including high-resolution 3D lightning positioning technology and application, lightning features in different types of thunderstorm systems and their relationship with cloud structure, dynamics, and microphysics, observation and simulation of thunderstorm charge structure, lightning forecasting and lightning data assimilation for thunderstorm forecasting. Some of the major frontiers and challenges remaining in lightning and thunderstorms studies are also highlighted.