8.1
Idealized Boundary-Crossing Supercell Simulations of 2 June 1995
Matthew S. Gilmore, CIMMS/ Univ. of Oklahoma and NOAA/NSSL, Norman, OK; and L. J. Wicker, E. R. Mansell, J. M. Straka, and E. N. Rasmussen
Results will be presented demonstrating the large influence that changes in the local environmental conditions can have on simulated boundary-crossing supercell storms. A non-homogeneous environment is initialized with soundings that characterized the warm side and immediate cool side of a pre-existing mesoscale outflow boundary observed in VORTEX on 2 June 1995. The boundary delineates between environments of moderate CAPE and shear (with meager clockwise turning) on the warm side and large CAPE and shear (with large clockwise turning) on the cool side. The largest differences in CAPE and shear are at low-levels (z < 2.5 km).
As simulated storms cross the idealized boundary into the cool-side environment, they experience an increase in low-level and total updraft strength, strengthening of the low-level mesocyclone rotation, lowering of cloud base, and a large increase in the rate of hail/graupel riming inside the updraft.
Comparisons between the behavior of these idealized boundary-crossing supercells and those observed in VORTEX on 2 June 1995 will be presented.
Session 8, Numerical Modeling of Severe Storms
Wednesday, 14 August 2002, 8:00 AM-10:00 AM
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