Abstract
The recent emergence of compelling evidence (Mudiar et al., 2018, 2021a
2021b) regarding a significant impact of cloud electrification on rain
microphysical processes raises curiosity on the potential dynamical
implications of cloud electrification. In this study, the consequence of
cloud electrification has been explored from a perspective of
interaction between cloud microphysics and dynamics using observational
data and numerical models in a tropical condition. It is shown that the
strongly electrified (SE) clouds exhibit a reduced value of rain
intercept parameter, N0 relative to the weakly electrified (WE)
counterpart facilitated by the in-cloud electric field. This process
results in a reduction in rain evaporation rate in the warm phase of the
cloud, thereby enhancing the surface rain intensity. From a dynamical
perspective, the reduced rain evaporation rate gives positive feedback
to storm energetics by reducing latent cooling. The reduced latent
cooling delays the downdraft thereby facilitating an invigoration of
convection. This electrically induced invigoration is termed ‘Dynamical
Invigoration of Electrified Storms’.