Evaluation of the Radar Echo Tops in Catalonia: Relationship with Severe Weather

Strong updrafts occur in severe thunderstorms, causing the overshooting tops, an increase total lightning activity, and generating a frozen drops nucleus that will produce weather when it collapses. The Echo Top is measurement of vertical development cloud, considering certain reflectivity threshold: higher threshold value, lower altitude reached. present research shows distribution Tops three thresholds (12, 35, 45 dBZ) Catalonia for period 2013–2021, comparing with maps hail, jumps, topography region. analysis how maxima occurrence varies depending on threshold, indicating thunderstorms have initial at 12 dBZ mountainous area, while 35 are shifted to south, regions mountains. This last maximum nearly coincident region more hit by large hail.