Cloud‐Top Cooling Rate Based Rapidly Developing Convection Detection Using FY‐2F Satellite Images

Rapidly developing convection (RDC) serves as a precursor to severe weather events. Timely detection of RDC (DRDC) through satellite remote sensing technology is critical for advancing nowcasting capabilities. With the operational deployment of the rapid scanning mode on China’s FengYun‐2F (FY‐2F) meteorological satellite, it provides multichannel rapid scanning data with a temporal resolution of 6 min and a spatial resolution of 5 km, making it possible to detect RDC operationally using satellites. Leveraging the characteristics of FY‐2F multichannel data, this study proposes a novel method for RDC detection. The method employs multichannel identification of the cloud‐top cooling rate (CTC) combined with a three‐test CTC filter. After filtering, local brightness temperature (Tb) minima are identified for each RDC, and a flood‐fill algorithm is applied to surrounding pixels to delineate rapidly developing convective bodies. This study introduces the innovative application of multichannel RDC identification and a CTC filter that incorporates three tests. Experimental validation using August 2014 scanning data (106° E–113° E, 27° N–31° N) demonstrates robust performance, with a probability of detection (POD), false alarm ratio (FAR), and critical success index (CSI) of 0.88, 0.16, and 0.76, respectively, confirming the method’s accuracy in identifying RDC.