1 / 26

Downbursts and dust storms

Downbursts and dust storms. Review of last lecture. 3 stages of supercell tornado formation. 2 types of non- supercell tornado formation. Tornado outbreak (number>6) Which state has the largest number of tornadoes in U.S.? Tornado outlook 2 types of mesoscale convective systems.

ronna
Download Presentation

Downbursts and dust storms

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Downbursts and dust storms

  2. Review of last lecture • 3 stages of supercell tornado formation. • 2 types of non-supercell tornado formation. • Tornado outbreak (number>6) • Which state has the largest number of tornadoes in U.S.? • Tornado outlook • 2 types of mesoscale convective systems

  3. Downbursts: Introduction • Downbursts are gusts of wind that can reach speeds in excess of 270km/hr (165mph), and are potentially deadly. • Three common types: • Derechos • Haboobs • Microbursts

  4. Different downbursts 620 miles or 1000 km 62 miles or 100 km 6.2 miles or 10 km 0.62 mile or 1 km

  5. Derechos • A derecho (spanish word meaning “straight ahead”) is a widespread, long-lived wind storm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms (often a squall line). • By definition, the wind damage swath extends more than 240 miles and wind speed > 57 mph. Can produce destruction similar to that of tornadoes. The damage typically is directed in one direction along a relatively straight swath. From NOAA SPC Derecho website

  6. Video: Derecho http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K61qGvKltL8

  7. Development of a derecho Thunderstorm stage Bow echo stage Comma or line echo stage

  8. Clouds associated with a derecho From NOAA SPC Derecho website

  9. "The Line Storm," by John Steuart Curry, 1897-1946

  10. Different types of derechos Serial derechos Progressive derechos Hybrid derechos Low dewpoint derechos

  11. Serial derecho From NOAA SPC Derecho website typically is associated with an extensive squall line or quasi-linear convective system with multiple embedded bow echoes. usually occur in conjunction with well-defined, migratory low pressure system. Overall convective system (and, therefore, derecho) motion is dominated by advection --- the downstream movement of individual thunderstorm cells by the environmental wind.

  12. Progressive derecho June 2012 derecho over the Midwest and Ohio Valley From NOAA SPC Derecho website typically is associated with a squall line of restricted length that may involve a single bow echo or multiple bows. usually are associated with a stagnant large scale weather pattern. Overall convective system (and, therefore, derecho) motion is dominated by thunderstorm propagation --- that is, the development of new storm cells downstream from existing ones.

  13. Annual number of derecho events

  14. Timing of derecho events From NOAA SPC Derecho website

  15. Microburst • Downbursts with diameteres of less than 4km (2.5mi) called microbursts • Two types: wet and dry • can produce dangerous situations at airports, as they impede air travel. • Three stages of development: Contact, Outburst, Cushion

  16. Microburst and air travel

  17. Haboobs • Very strong horizontal winds over desert regions create sandstorms called haboobs (from the Arabic word meaning “wind”).

  18. Video: Haboobs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGDvBk4knF0 A movie’s depiction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4sNGmDBLWg（at 1：33：59-1:35:00）

  19. Global distribution of aerosols

  20. Global impact of dust storms

  21. Desertification • Caused mainly be human activities and climate change • Is one of the most significant global environmental problems • About a billion people are under threat

  22. Global desertification vulnerability

  23. Palmer drought severity index (PDSI) • was developed by Wayne Palmer in the 1960s and uses temperature and rainfall information in a model to determine dryness of soil moisture. • is most effective in determining long term drought (a matter of several months) and is not as good with short-term forecasts (a matter of weeks). • It uses a 0 as normal, and drought is shown in terms of minus numbers; for example, minus 2 is moderate drought, minus 3 is severe drought, and minus 4 is extreme drought.

  24. PDSI for US in December 2011

  25. Change of PDSI in the last 100 years

  26. Summary • 3 types of downbursts. • 4 types of derechos. Which U.S. state has the largest annual mean number of derecho events? Which season has the largest occurrence of derechos? • Haboobs. • Global desertification. • What is PDSI? Which two variables is PDSI dependent on? How has the PDSI been changing in the last century?

More Related