From January 15 to March 1, the Airborne Comprehensive Observation Experiment on the Yunnan-Guizhou Quasi-Stationary Front (hereinafter referred to as the "Experiment") was carried out at Mile Field Research Stadium for Yungui Quasi-Stationary Front, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), located in Mile, Yunnan (hereinafter referred to as the Stadium).

The stadium staff were making preparations before the Experiment. Photo by YANG Yang

Relying on independently developed high-altitude Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems and Mengzi Beidou sounding equipment, combined with ground-based remote sensing vertical observation equipment at the two locations, the Experiment conducts collaborative observations, providing more comprehensive data support for deepening the research on the Yunnan-Guizhou Quasi-Stationary Front and improving forecasting service capabilities.

The stadium staff were making preparations before the Experiment. Photo by YANG Yang

The Yunnan-Guizhou Quasi-Stationary Front, also known as the Kunming Quasi-Stationary Front, is a frequently occurring weather system in southwest China, affecting the weather and climate of nearly one-fifth of China's area.

In the cold season, its activities are prone to triggering freezing rain and snow disasters behind the front; in the warm season, it often incurs severe convective weather such as heavy rains and hailstones near the front.

The Stadium

The Experiment is jointly carried out by the Research Team on the Mechanism and Forecasting Technology of the Yunnan-Guizhou Quasi-Stationary Front and the Yunnan Provincial Innovation Team for Observation Product Development and Application.

"Winter is the period when the Yunnan-Guizhou Quasi-Stationary Front is most active and exerts the most obvious impact. We hope to gain new insights into the vertical structural characteristics and movement and variation laws of the Yunnan-Guizhou Quasi-Stationary Front through the Experiment," introduced ZHANG Tao, Deputy Director of the Stadium.

The X-band dual-polarization mobile radar deployed to the Stadium

Mile is located in the sensitive area and key frontogenesis area affected by the Yunnan-Guizhou Quasi-Stationary Front, making it an ideal location for observing the three-dimensional atmospheric structure during the advance and retreat of the front.

Leveraging this advantage, the Stadium has designed the "One Station and Two Networks" observation model (i.e., the Stadium, the Local Topographic Gradient Observation Network, and the Eastern Joint Observation Network), constructed a comprehensive observation system integrating point, line, and surface observations, conducted comprehensive observations and scientific research focusing on the refined structural characteristics of the Yunnan-Guizhou Quasi-Stationary Front, its evolution laws, and the interaction between these laws and local terrain, and collected and sorted out experimental data covering 321 days from 49 typical cases during the period from March 2022 to March 2025.

The 3D wind lidar at the Stadium

Previous relevant research results have been integrated into Yunnan's intelligent forecasting operation platform, serving the linkage mechanism between accurate forecasting and emergency response.

The team will further expand the scope of the Experiment and carry out collaborative networking observation experiments in 5 key frontogenesis areas affected by the Yunnan-Guizhou Quasi-Stationary Front.

Author: ZHAO Xiaoni, YANG Yang, Huang Shiqi

Special thanks to YIN Wenyou, LUO Zhonghua, MIAO Rong, Yu Qijun

Editor: LIU Shuqiao