Abstract
<jats:p>Adverse convective weather (including large hail, heavy rainfall, downbursts and tornadoes) has been identified as one of the main research focuses due to its high impact on densely populated regions. Some recent examples in the western Mediterranean are: giant hail in Catalonia (2022 and 2023) and northern Italy (2024), floods in Valencia and the Ebro Delta (2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024), or the August 2022 derecho (Balearic Islands, Corsica and northern Italy). Furthermore, this impact seems to be increasing in some areas, such as the Mediterranean basin itself, for several reasons.This analysis considers a continuous period of 12 years (2014-2025) of 6-minute radar data to provide insight into convective behaviour and trends in Catalonia (NE Iberian Peninsula). We investigated those pixels defined as convective: reflectivity at low levels between 25 and 75 dBZ and maximum reflectivity at any level between 45 and 75 dBZ. For each pixel, the surface and maximum reflectivity, the 45 dBZ echotop, the coordinates and the time (date plus time) were estimated. We evaluated, spatially, monthly and annually, the occurrence of these pixels, among other properties (recurrence, area, events, etc.). This presentation introduces the first results of our research: an increase in convective activity during the warmest season (from June to August), particularly in areas with high topography; only in some areas does convective activity decrease slightly; and an overall positive trend of all the variables studied throughout the period. These results are consistent with other studies indicating increased convection associated with changes in the freezing level or the amount of precipitable water at lower levels. </jats:p>