Convection is a key process in weather forecasting and climate prediction. Besides the crucial role of convective precipitation and other convective hazards in daily weather forecasting, convection affects all the main atmospheric variables at longer forecast range and in climate. Convective transports of heat, moisture and momentum play a major role in the general planetary circulation. The impact on weather is most direct in regions of cold advection, in cyclonic systems and in the tropics generally. 

The Convection group uses observations, Cloud-Resolving Models (CRMs) and other tools to help improve our understanding of these processes. Figure 1 shows results from a Met Office CRM simulation of deep tropical convection. The white lines outline cloud water and ice, and the colours show different types of precipitating cloud species. Click on Figure 1 to see a full animation from the model which has been produced by the Convection and Special Process Investigations groups within APR [NB: The animation is a multiple gif format of ~0.5 Mb].

Figure 1. Output from a CRM simulation of a tropical squall line