Research on rain cell identification and classification characteristics of short-duration heavy precipitation in Hubei Province

short-duration heavy precipitation (SHP) is one of the primary meteorological disasters in Hubei Province. Accurately identifying and investigating the classification characteristics of rain cells associated with SHP (SHP-RCs) are of great significance for improving early warning capabilities. Based on the surface automatic stations and national weather radar mosaic data in Hubei Province from 2020 to 2024, this paper utilized the eight-connected chain code algorithm and the spatiotemporal overlapping method to identify and track SHP-RCs. According to their movement characteristics and affect areas, these SHP-RCs were classified into a stationary type and four mobile types (i.e. eastern, southwestern, northwestern, and province-wide types). A comparative analysis was conducted to examine spatial activity patterns and parametric features of different SHP-RC types. The main conclusions were as follows (1) A total of 4 455 SHP cases were identified. The source regions of SHP-RCs were primarily located in the transitional zones between the eastern plain and mountainous areas of Hubei Province, while their active areas were concentrated in central and eastern parts of Hubei. (2) The stationary type exhibited the highest frequency (86%), with the shortest duration (~1.5 h) and the smallest affected area (~568 km²); the province-wide type showed the lowest frequency (1%), with the longest duration (~16 h) and largest affected area (~30 000 km²); the spatiotemporal characteristics of other types fell between these two. (3) The geometric features varied among different SHP-RC types: the stationary type displayed a near-square horizontal shape and a relatively "tall and thin" spatial form, while the province-wide type exhibited an elongated horizontal shape and a relatively "short and wide" spatial form, the geometric characteristics of other types were intermediate; the precipitation top heights of all SHP-RC types exceeded 10 km, with the northwestern type being the highest (11.64 km) and the southwestern type the lowest (10.8 km). (4) SHP-RCs in Hubei Province were predominantly low-centroid heavy precipitation, with the extended heights of 40 dBz strong echo (4.5~5.5 km) lower the 0°C level (~6 km). Additionally, the northwestern type exhibited the highest composite reflectivity (42.9 dBz) and vertically integrated liquid water content (5.51 kg·m⁻²), while the southwestern type showed the lowest values (40.9 dBz and 3.97 kg·m⁻²). The above results indicate that SHP in Hubei Province exhibits distinct topographic effects and local characteristics, with differences in duration, affected area, geometric and physical parameters among different SHP-RC types. Therefore, it is necessary to further establish differentiated early warning indicators for different SHP-RC types, which can effectively enhance the precision of local SHP forecasting.