Strong Winds in Extratropical Cyclones: Sting Jets and Cold Conveyor Belts

The sting jet was first defined by Browning (2004) from a post-event analysis of data from the Great Storm of October 1987.  The term sting jet hearkened back to the early Norwegian analysts who recognized the potential for the strongest winds in extratropical cyclones at the tail end of the bent-back occluded front (Grønås 1995).  It has been over dozen years since Browning’s study, and the number of studies on windstorms has increased, but what have we learned about sting jets specifically and strong winds in extratropical cyclones, in general? This talk reviews the literature and presents new research results to answer the following questions.  How do strong winds form in cyclones?  What is a sting jet?  What physical processes are responsible for creating sting jets?  Why do some storms have it and others don’t?  This presentation aims to expose some of the opportunities for future research on windstorms in extratropical cyclones, as well as the importance of clear scientific communication.