Open AccessWestern Mediterranean cyclones and heavy rain. Part 1: Numerical experiment concerning the Piedmont flood case
Author(s) -
Jansa Agustin,
Genoves Ana,
GarciaMoya Jose A.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
meteorological applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1469-8080
pISSN - 1350-4827
DOI - 10.1017/s1350482700001663
Subject(s) - orography , mediterranean climate , flood myth , low pressure area , environmental science , climatology , meteorology , cyclone (programming language) , trough (economics) , geology , precipitation , geography , economics , macroeconomics , archaeology , field programmable gate array , computer science , computer hardware , atmospheric pressure
Heavy rain events constitute a major operational problem in the Mediterranean area. The present work tries to contribute to a better understanding of this problem by considering the possible indirect influence of surface depressions in the triggering and location of the heavy rain. The idea is that any surface low contributes to the organisation of the low‐level flow. This then affects the creation/intensification of a low‐level feeding current of warm and wet air that can sustain heavy rain if there is convective instability. Two approaches have been used: (a) a numerical and synoptic approach, Part 1, and (b) a statistical approach, Part 2. In Part 1, the differences between a control run and a numerical experiment without the Iberian mountains for the ‘MAP Piedmont flood event’ are discussed. Among other effects, the Iberian orography seems to intensify a secondary low near Liguria as well as increase the mixing ratio convergence and the rainfall intensity near it. A few other cases of heavy rain are also briefly reviewed in order to identify the presence of a Mediterranean depression in the vicinity. Copyright © 2000 Royal Meteorological Society