@article{CHANG2026, 
author = {Zhiyu CHANG and Xiaoyong ZHUGE and Xu CHEN and Xidi ZHANG and Hao CHEN},
title = {Prolonged Lifetime and Atypical Westward Propagation of Mesoscale Convective Systems in the Cold-Core Vicinity of the Northeast China Cold Vortex},
year = {2026},
journal = {Journal of Meteorological Research},
volume = {40},
number = {3},
pages = {749-765},
keywords = {mesoscale convective system (MCS), Northeast China cold vortex (NCCV), statistical characteristics, environmental differences},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.1007/s13351-026-5220-8},
doi = {10.1007/s13351-026-5220-8},
abstract = {The Northeast China Cold Vortex (NCCV), especially the horizontally uniform cold environment near the NCCV core, is a favorable background for the initiation of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs), but prior research lacks analysis of the attributes of such MCSs. Based on Himawari-8 satellite infrared brightness temperature and NCCV positioning data, this study investigated and compared the characteristics of ordinary MCSs (Ord-MCSs) and MCSs accompanied by the NCCV (CV-MCSs) over Northeast China and its vicinity during April–September of 2018–2022. By using a bidirectional area-overlap algorithm, a total of 1707 Ord-MCSs and 229 CV-MCSs were identified, with the occurrence of both types of MCSs peaking from June to August. Key findings reveal that larger-scale MCSs exhibit extended lifecycle duration, enhanced convection and precipitation intensity, broader convection and precipitation areas, and a faster development rate. Moreover, compared with Ord-MCSs, CV-MCSs are active in environments with lower convective available potential energy (CAPE), lower 500-hPa temperature, and higher relative humidity throughout the mid-to-lower troposphere. Consequently, CV-MCSs have a smaller lifetime maximum convective core area but a larger lifetime maximum convective shield area and greater lifetime maximum precipitation coverage, together with notably longer life duration. Additionally, CV-MCSs show a stronger tendency to move westward, follow longer trajectories and attain higher average speeds than Ord-MCSs moving in the same direction. These results highlight that the cold, humid, and relatively stable environment near the NCCV core favors the development of extensive, long-lived, but not necessarily the most intensely convective MCSs, offering new insights for refining regional forecasts of convective system evolution under cold vortex conditions.}
}