TOOCAN

ady detected seeds. This iterative process of detection and dilation is repeated every 2 K from 190 to 241 K, corresponding to the high cold cloud shield and is stopped when all the pixels below 241 K are associated with a Deep Convective System. The method identifies the full spectrum of the convective organization, from small and short-lived systems to systems more organized lasting several days (Fiolleau & Roca, 2024). All identified deep convective systems are recorded in the cloud_mask variable of the MCS mask files. If a convective system meets the MCS criteria as outlined in Section 2c, it is categorized as MCS for its entire life cycle, from initiation to dissipation. Convective systems classified as MCS are stored in the mcs_mask variable of the MCS mask files.