Premium
An example of rainbands associated with stationary longitudinal circulations in the planetary boundary layer
Author(s) -
Browning K. A.,
Bryant G. W.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
quarterly journal of the royal meteorological society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.744
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1477-870X
pISSN - 0035-9009
DOI - 10.1002/qj.49710143012
Subject(s) - troposphere , boundary layer , geology , doppler radar , front (military) , atmospheric sciences , radiosonde , climatology , radar , cold front , precipitation , meteorology , planetary boundary layer , mechanics , geography , oceanography , physics , telecommunications , computer science
Doppler radar and rawinsonde observations are presented showing the structure of some longitudinal circulations which extended downwind of hills and gave rise to stationary rainbands. The circulations occurred within a low‐level jet situated in a deep adiabatic boundary layer ahead of a moving cold front. They were several kilometres wide and up to 100km long with updraughts of about 30cm s −1 . The layer of cloud was shallow in the present study so that the circulations gave rise to only light rain; however, in the presence of precipitation generated in the middle troposphere the airflow at low levels would be moistened and seeded and it is suggested that stationary bands of heavy rain might then occur as a result of boundary layer circulations of the kind described in this study.