Open AccessThe dry intrusion perspective of extra‐tropical cyclone development
Author(s) -
Browning K A
Publication year - 1997
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/s1350482797000613
Subject(s) - cold front , potential vorticity , climatology , thunderstorm , meteorology , front (military) , mesoscale convective system , severe weather , tropopause , tropical cyclone , environmental science , cyclone (programming language) , geology , mesoscale meteorology , vorticity , troposphere , vortex , geography , storm , computer science , field programmable gate array , computer hardware
The dry intrusion is a coherent region of air descending from near tropopause‐level. It often has a clear signature in satellite imagery, especially in the water vapour channel, where it is seen as a ‘dark zone’. Parts of dry intrusions are characterised by high potential vorticity and, upon approaching a low‐level baroclinic zone, rapid cyclogenesis may be expected to ensue. The leading edges of dry intrusions are defined by cold θ w ‐fronts (moisture fronts). In some places the dry intrusion undercuts rearward‐ascending warm air to give an ana‐cold front. In other places it overruns the warm air to produce an upper cold θ w ‐front in advance of the surface cold frontHere the dry intrusion is associated with the generation of potential instability and its eventual release as showers or thunderstorms. Identification of dry intrusions provides the forecaster with additional nowcasting evidence that is especially helpful when issuing severe weather warnings. The identification of water vapour dark zones associated with dry intrusions can also form the basis of methods for validating NWP models. Through their relationship to high potential vorticity, they can provide guidance for bogussing NWP models in situations of potentially severe weather. This article provides an introduction to the structure and behaviour of dry intrusions and their relationship to other aspects of extra‐tropical cyclones. Copyright © 2004 Royal Meteorological Society