Thursday, 20 June 2002: 4:44 PM
The 7–8 December 2001 wind event: An example of complex flow over the Mogollon Rim of Arizona
During the overnight hours of 7-8 December 2001, a strong wind event occurred over portions of northern Arizona. Wind gusts of 50 mph or greater were reported over portions of Coconino and Yavapai counties. These strong winds developed during the nighttime hours of 7 December and became strongest during the early morning hours of 8 December as a strong northeasterly mid-level jet streak moved across the state. This unusual orientation of the jet streak perpendicular to the Mogollon Rim appears to have generated a complex flow pattern over the Mogollon Rim and locations downstream over Yavapai county. The 0000 UTC 8 December operational run of the ETA model appears to have captured some elements of this event. This paper will investigate the operational aspects of this wind event, through examination of available data sets. Results of a simulation of this event using the workstation version of the ETA model will also be discussed.
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