Observation of Downburst Associated with Intense Thunderstorms Encountered by an Aircraft at Hong Kong International Airport

In situ observational data from aircraft within microbursts is rather rare in Hong Kong, and such a case is documented in this paper by comparison with the large amount of meteorological data in the vicinity of Hong Kong International Airport, in particular, from the weather radars. Three-dimensiona...

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Main Authors: Ying-wa Chan, Pak-wai Chan, Ping Cheung
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/4/2223
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author Ying-wa Chan
Pak-wai Chan
Ping Cheung
author_facet Ying-wa Chan
Pak-wai Chan
Ping Cheung
author_sort Ying-wa Chan
collection DOAJ
description In situ observational data from aircraft within microbursts is rather rare in Hong Kong, and such a case is documented in this paper by comparison with the large amount of meteorological data in the vicinity of Hong Kong International Airport, in particular, from the weather radars. Three-dimensional wind field retrieval has been conducted from the radars, and the wind data so obtained are compared with the vertical velocity and eddy dissipation rate measured onboard the aircraft during the encountering of two microbursts. The two datasets are found to be generally consistent with each other. The dataset and the meteorological phenomenon studied in this paper are unique, and it is hoped that such a documented case could be useful for reference for aviation weather forecasting and alerting elsewhere in the world and the design of new aircraft.
format Article
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series Applied Sciences
spelling doaj-art-08acd23eb66541b6a3292d8d94690c5b2025-08-20T02:44:40ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-02-01154222310.3390/app15042223Observation of Downburst Associated with Intense Thunderstorms Encountered by an Aircraft at Hong Kong International AirportYing-wa Chan0Pak-wai Chan1Ping Cheung2Hong Kong Observatory, 134A Nathan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong, ChinaHong Kong Observatory, 134A Nathan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong, ChinaHong Kong Observatory, 134A Nathan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong, ChinaIn situ observational data from aircraft within microbursts is rather rare in Hong Kong, and such a case is documented in this paper by comparison with the large amount of meteorological data in the vicinity of Hong Kong International Airport, in particular, from the weather radars. Three-dimensional wind field retrieval has been conducted from the radars, and the wind data so obtained are compared with the vertical velocity and eddy dissipation rate measured onboard the aircraft during the encountering of two microbursts. The two datasets are found to be generally consistent with each other. The dataset and the meteorological phenomenon studied in this paper are unique, and it is hoped that such a documented case could be useful for reference for aviation weather forecasting and alerting elsewhere in the world and the design of new aircraft.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/4/2223microburstsgust frontswindsheardowndraftsturbulenceeddy dissipation rate
spellingShingle Ying-wa Chan
Pak-wai Chan
Ping Cheung
Observation of Downburst Associated with Intense Thunderstorms Encountered by an Aircraft at Hong Kong International Airport
Applied Sciences
microbursts
gust fronts
windshear
downdrafts
turbulence
eddy dissipation rate
title Observation of Downburst Associated with Intense Thunderstorms Encountered by an Aircraft at Hong Kong International Airport
title_full Observation of Downburst Associated with Intense Thunderstorms Encountered by an Aircraft at Hong Kong International Airport
title_fullStr Observation of Downburst Associated with Intense Thunderstorms Encountered by an Aircraft at Hong Kong International Airport
title_full_unstemmed Observation of Downburst Associated with Intense Thunderstorms Encountered by an Aircraft at Hong Kong International Airport
title_short Observation of Downburst Associated with Intense Thunderstorms Encountered by an Aircraft at Hong Kong International Airport
title_sort observation of downburst associated with intense thunderstorms encountered by an aircraft at hong kong international airport
topic microbursts
gust fronts
windshear
downdrafts
turbulence
eddy dissipation rate
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/4/2223
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AT pakwaichan observationofdownburstassociatedwithintensethunderstormsencounteredbyanaircraftathongkonginternationalairport
AT pingcheung observationofdownburstassociatedwithintensethunderstormsencounteredbyanaircraftathongkonginternationalairport