A strong electric (E) field sounding system was designed to measure the vertical component of the E-fields, temperature, relative humidity and GPS data along the sounding path. In the summer of 2008, in situ measurements of E-field inside the thunderstorms were conducted in Pingliang, Gansu Provience, with the cooperation of an X-band weather radar. One E-field profile inside a thunderstorm was successfully acquired. The sounding data indicated four charge layers along the sounding trajectory, three in-side the thuderstorm and one at its lower boundary. The lower cloud boundary charge layer was negative, acting as a screening layer, and laid between 4.3 to 4.5 km a.s.l. The lower positive charge center (LPCC) existed between 4.5–5.3 km a.s.l. (from 3°C to -2°C); the main negative charge area was present between 5.4–6.6 km a.s.l. (-3°C to -10°C); the upper positive charge layer was between 6.7–7.2 km a.s.l. (-11°C to -14°C). The results support the tripole charge structure inside thunderstorms (above 0°C isotherm altitude), but the LPCC is much larger-than-usual in Chinese inland plateau.
A strong electric (E) field sounding system was designed to measure the vertical component of the E-fields, temperature, relative humidity and GPS data along the sounding path. In the summer of 2008, in situ measurements of E-field inside the thunderstorms were conducted in Pingliang, Gansu Provience, with the cooperation of an X-band weather radar. One E-field profile inside a thunderstorm was successfully acquired. The sounding data indicated four charge layers along the sounding trajectory, three in-side the thuderstorm and one at its lower boundary. The lower cloud boundary charge layer was negative, acting as a screening layer, and laid between 4.3 to 4.5 km a.s.l. The lower positive charge center (LPCC) existed between 4.5–5.3 km a.s.l. (from 3°C to -2°C); the main negative charge area was present between 5.4–6.6 km a.s.l. (-3°C to -10°C); the upper positive charge layer was between 6.7–7.2 km a.s.l. (-11°C to -14°C). The results support the tripole charge structure inside thunderstorms (above 0°C isotherm altitude), but the LPCC is much larger-than-usual in Chinese inland plateau.