Examination of mesoscale convective vortex and Its transition into a frontal cyclone during BAMEX

The period 5-14 June 2003 was noteworthy for the strong subtropical jet (STJ) that dominated the large-scale flow pattern. The STJ was positioned from southeast of Hawaii east-northeastward to the Mississippi Valley, then northeastward to the North Atlantic. The STJ provided a freeway for embedded disturbances to propagate over the central US, triggering multiple convective modes, including several mesoscale convective vorticies (MCVs).

On 0000 UTC 10 June 2003, a disturbance embedded in the STJ triggered convection over eastern New Mexico and western Texas. A mesoscale convective vortex (MCV) developed from the remnants of this convection over central Oklahoma at 0600 UTC 11 June 2003, and matured as it traveled northeastward. The uniqueness of this MCV lies in it longevity and its transition into a baroclinic system. The purpose of this presentation is to document the evolution and mesoscale structure of this MCV in terms of vertical shear, dynamical structure, thermodynamic profiles, surface observations, and convective reorganization as it propagated northeastward to Ohio.