i
Rapid Mesoscale Environmental Changes Accompanying Genesis of an Unusual Tornado
-
2016
Source: Weather and Forecasting, 31(3), 763-786.
Select the Download button to view the document
This document is over 5mb in size and cannot be previewed
Details:
-
Journal Title:Weather and Forecasting
-
Personal Author:
-
NOAA Program & Office:
-
Description:This study documents a very rapid increase in convective instability, vertical wind shear, and mesoscale forcing for ascent leading to the formation of a highly unusual tornado as detected by a ground-based microwave radiometer and wind profiler, and in 1-km resolution mesoanalyses. Mesoscale forcing for the rapid development of severe convection began with the arrival of a strong upper-level jet streak with pronounced divergence in its left exit region and associated intensification of the low-level flow to the south of a pronounced warm front. The resultant increase in stretching deformation along the front occurred in association with warming immediately to its south as low-level clouds dissipated. This created a narrow ribbon of intense frontogenesis and a rapid increase in convective available potential energy (CAPE) within 75 min of tornadogenesis. The Windsor, Colorado, storm formed at the juncture of this warm frontogenesis zone and a developing dryline. Storm-relative helicity suddenly increased to large values during this pretornadic period as a midtropospheric layer of strong southeasterly winds descended to low levels. The following events also occurred simultaneously within this short period of time: a pronounced decrease in midtropospheric equivalent potential temperature theta(e) accompanying the descending jet, an increase in low-level theta(e) associated with the surface sensible heating, and elimination of the capping inversion and convective inhibition. The simultaneous nature of these rapid changes over such a short period of time, not fully captured in Storm Prediction Center mesoanalyses, was likely critical in generating this unusual tornadic event.
-
Source:Weather and Forecasting, 31(3), 763-786.
-
Document Type:
-
Rights Information:Other
-
Compliance:Submitted
-
Main Document Checksum:urn:sha256:9edab8be212d07c4a262bcee6447d1fb16ade772354acfc5cb5fa54f6f07ea5d
-
File Type:
Supporting Files
-
No Additional Files
More +
Related Documents
-
- File Format:
- RIS
- File Format:
- RIS
- File Format:
- RIS
- File Format:
- RIS
- File Format:
- RIS
- File Format:
- RIS
- File Format:
- RIS
- File Format:
- RIS
- File Format:
- RIS
- File Format:
- RIS
- File Format:
- RIS
- File Format:
- RIS
- File Format:
- RIS
- File Format:
- RIS
- File Format:
- RIS
Variability in projected elevation dependent warming in boreal midlatitude winter in CMIP5 climate models and its potential driversCitePersonal Author:Rangwala, I. ; Sinsky, E. ; ...2016 | Climate Dynamics, 46(7-8), 2115-2122.Description:The future rate of climate change in mountains has many potential human impacts, including those related to water resources, ecosystem services, and r...A multi-decade record of high-quality fCO(2) data in version 3 of the Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT)CitePersonal Author:Bakker, D. C. E. ; Pfeil, B. ; ...2016 | Earth System Science Data, 8(2), 383-413.Description:The Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT) is a synthesis of quality-controlled fCO(2) (fugacity of carbon dioxide) values for the global surface oceans and ...Personal Author:Newman, M. ; Alexander, M. A. ; ...2016 | Journal of Climate, 29(12), 4399-4427.Description:The Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO), the dominant year-round pattern of monthly North Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) variability, is an impor...Personal Author:Diaz, H. F. ; Wahl, E. R. ; ...2016 | Journal of Climate, 29(15), 5661-5674.Description:Few if any high-resolution (annually resolved) paleoclimate records are available for the Hawaiian Islands prior to; similar to 1850 CE, after which s...Colorado air quality impacted by long-range-transported aerosol: a set of case studies during the 2015 Pacific Northwest firesCitePersonal Author:Creamean, J. M. ; Neiman, P. J. ; ...2016 | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 16(18), 12329-12345.Description:Biomass burning plumes containing aerosols from forest fires can be transported long distances, which can ultimately impact climate and air quality in...Pathways to the Production of Precipitating Hydrometeors and Tropical Cyclone DevelopmentCitePersonal Author:Bao, J. W. ; Michelson, S. A. ; ...2016 | Monthly Weather Review, 144(6), 2395-2420.Description:Pathways to the production of precipitation in two cloud microphysics schemes available in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model are invest...Ocean acoustic remote sensing using ambient noise: results from the Florida StraitsCitePersonal Author:Brown, M. G. ; Godin, O. A. ; ...2016 | Geophysical Journal International, 206(1), 574-589.Description:Noise interferometry is the process by which approximations to acoustic Green's functions, which describe sound propagation between two locations, are...Observations of the Structure and Evolution of Hurricane Edouard (2014) during Intensity Change. Part I: Relationship between the Thermodynamic Structure and PrecipitationCitePersonal Author:Zawislak, J. ; Jiang, H. Y. ; ...2016 | Monthly Weather Review, 144(9), 3333-3354.Description:The structural evolution of the inner core and near environment throughout the life cycle of Hurricane Edouard (2014) is examined using a synthesis of...Anomalous mid-twentieth century atmospheric circulation change over the South Atlantic compared to the last 6000 yearsCitePersonal Author:Turney, C. S. M. ; Jones, R. T. ; ...2016 | Environmental Research Letters, 11(6), 064009.Description:Determining the timing and impact of anthropogenic climate change in data-sparse regions is a considerable challenge. Arguably, nowhere is this more d...The Radiative Forcing Model Intercomparison Project (RFMIP): experimental protocol for CMIP6CitePersonal Author:Pincus, R. ; Forster, P. M. ; ...2016 | Geoscientific Model Development, 9(9), 3447-3460.Description:The phrasing of the first of three questions motivating CMIP6 - "How does the Earth system respond to forcing?" - suggests that forcing is always well...Toward autonomous surface-based infrared remote sensing of polar clouds: cloud-height retrievalsCitePersonal Author:Rowe, P. M. ; Cox, C. J. ; ...2019 | Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 5071–5086Description:Polar regions are characterized by their remoteness, making measurements challenging, but an improved knowledge of clouds and radiation is necessary t...Inaccuracies with Multimodel Postprocessing Methods Involving Weighted, Regression-Corrected ForecastsCitePersonal Author:Hodyss, D. ; Satterfield, E. ; ...2016 | Monthly Weather Review, 144(4), 1649-1668.Description:Ensemble postprocessing is frequently applied to correct biases and deficiencies in the spread of ensemble forecasts. Methods involving weighted, regr...Personal Author:Karnauskas, K. B. ; Johnson, G. C. ; ...2017 | International Journal of Climatology, 37(1), 197-203.Description:Contrary to the above title, a more typical question might be ‘How does climate variability and change impact atolls (and associated ecosystems and ...Landfalling Atmospheric Rivers, the Sierra Barrier Jet, and Extreme Daily Precipitation in Northern California's Upper Sacramento River WatershedCitePersonal Author:Ralph, F. M. ; Cordeira, J. M. ; ...2016 | Journal of Hydrometeorology, 17(7), 1905-1914.Description:The upper Sacramento River watershed is vital to California's water supply and is susceptible to major floods. Orographic precipitation in this comple...Tropical Upper-Tropospheric Potential Vorticity Intrusions during Sudden Stratospheric WarmingsCitePersonal Author:Albers, J. R. ; Kiladis, G. N. ; ...2016 | Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 73(6), 2361-2384.Description:The intrusion of lower-stratospheric extratropical potential vorticity into the tropical upper troposphere in the weeks surrounding the occurrence of ...The Role of Ocean Heat Transport in the Global Climate Response to Projected Arctic Sea Ice LossCitePersonal Author:Tomas, R. A. ; Deser, C. ; ...2016 | Journal of Climate, 29(19), 6841-6859.Description:The purpose of this study is to elucidate the individual and combined roles of thermodynamic and dynamic ocean-atmosphere coupling in the equilibrium ...Radar Rain-Rate Estimators and Their Variability due to Rainfall Type: An Assessment Based on Hydrometeorology Testbed Data from the Southeastern United StatesCitePersonal Author:Matrosov, S. Y. ; Cifelli, R. ; ...2016 | Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, 55(6), 1345-1358.Description:S-band profiling (S-PROF) radar measurements from different southeastern U.S. Hydrometeorology Testbed sites indicated a frequent occurrence of rain t...Understanding the Role of Atmospheric Rivers in Heavy Precipitation in the Southeast United StatesCitePersonal Author:Mahoney, K. ; Jackson, D. L. ; ...2016 | Monthly Weather Review, 144(4), 1617-1632.Description:An analysis of atmospheric rivers (ARs) as defined by an automated AR detection tool based on integrated water vapor transport (IVT) and the connectio...
More +
You May Also Like
- File Format:
- RIS
Doppler Radar Observations of Anticyclonic Tornadoes in Cyclonically Rotating, Right-Moving Supercells
Cite
Personal Author:
Bluestein, H. B. ; French, M. M. ; ...
2016 | Monthly Weather Review, 144(4), 1591-1616
Description:
Supercells dominated by mesocyclones, which tend to propagate to the right of the tropospheric pressure-weighted mean wind, on rare occasions produce ...
Checkout today's featured content at repository.library.noaa.gov