Abstract
To examine the process of atmospheric cooling due to melting, nine cases of a melting layer in continuous rain were observed by means of a Doppler radar and rawinsondes between 1981 and 1982 in the Tsukuba District, Japan. Six cases displayed the existence of cold air around the melting layer but three cases did not. The cold air existed in cloud regions with relative humilities greater than 90%, and it was related to the amount of precipitation on the ground. The results indicate that the cold air is associated with the melting of snowflakes. A nearly isothermal layer existed below the 0°C level and also stretched upward above the 0°C level. Below the isothermal layer, a layer with large lapse rate, i. e. an unstable layer, was observed. The stretch of the isothermal layer above the 0°C level suggests that some vertical mixing of air takes place around the melting layer.
