A model-based diagnostic study of the rapid development phase of the Presidents' Day cyclone

A model simulation of the rapid development phaser of the Presidents' Day cyclone on February 19, 1979, is studied. Model trajectories and Eulerian analyses show that, during this phase, three airstreams converge into the cyclogenetic region. The evolution of the PJ-trough system and its associ...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Monthly weather review 1988-11, Vol.116 (11), p.2337-2365
Main Authors: Whitaker, Jeffrey S., Uccellini, Louis W., Brill, Keith F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
External geophysics
Meteorology
Meteorology And Climatology
Storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, thunderstorms
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:A model simulation of the rapid development phaser of the Presidents' Day cyclone on February 19, 1979, is studied. Model trajectories and Eulerian analyses show that, during this phase, three airstreams converge into the cyclogenetic region. The evolution of the PJ-trough system and its associated tropopause fold is described, including the simulated surface low and the vertical profile of mass divergence which contributes to the decreasing sea-level pressure. The various terms of the vorticity equation are evaluated to identify the processes contributing to the increase in absolute vorticity. The nature and origin of airstreams entering the low-level circulation associated with rapid cyclogenesis are examined from a Lagrangian perspective.
ISSN:0027-0644
1520-0493
DOI:10.1175/1520-0493(1988)116<2337:AMBDSO>2.0.CO;2