Preface to the Special Issue on the 14th International Conference on Mesoscale Convective Systems and High-Impact Weather

A mesoscale convective system(MCS)is an organized cluster of thunderstorms known to be the most important convective mode in causing disastrous high-impact weather,such as heavy rainfall,hail,damaging winds,and tornadoes.The small spatial scale and fast temporal evolution of MCSs make their observation and prediction very challenging.East Asia is home to the world's most prominent monsoon,setting the stage for various severe convective weather events.MCSs and their associated high-impact weather have long been critical issues of concern;as such,their research efforts are valued by governments in East Asia.