P5.1
Mid-Level Dry Intrusions as a Factor in Tornadogenesis Associated with Landfalling Tropical Cyclones in the Central and Western Gulf Area
Lon Curtis, KWTX-TV, Waco, TX
Landfalling tropical cyclones have the potential to produce tornadoes.Some produce outbreaks of tornadoes while others produce few or none. Examination of historical landfall cases may reveal the significance of various parameters that determine which storms will produce outbreaks and under what conditions. Dry intrusions at mid-levels have the potential to substantially alter the thermodynamic structure of the tropical cyclone environment, producing substantial enhancement of CAPE and surface-based instability. As previously reported by the author (Preprints, 20th Conf. On Severe Local Storms, A.M.S., 2000), an examination of historical West Gulf outbreak cases indicates that a key factor was mid-level intrusion of dry air into the northeast quadrant of the storm. This presentation extends the analysis of historical outbreak cases to storms making landfall on the Central Gulf coast.
Poster Session 5, Poster Session - Operational Use of Analysis for Forecast Development—with Coffee Break
Thursday, 2 August 2001, 2:30 PM-4:00 PM
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