Multiscale Dynamics of the February 11-12, 2010, Deep South US Snowstorm Event
This study investigates the synoptic/mesoscale dynamics responsible for an unusually heavy southern US snowstorm that occurred on February 11-12, 2010, using reanalysis, observations, and numerical simulations. This record breaking snowfall event represents an example of multiple upper level and low...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2017-01-01
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| Series: | Advances in Meteorology |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/6301026 |
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| author | Stephany M. Taylor Michael L. Kaplan Yuh-Lang Lin |
| author_facet | Stephany M. Taylor Michael L. Kaplan Yuh-Lang Lin |
| author_sort | Stephany M. Taylor |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study investigates the synoptic/mesoscale dynamics responsible for an unusually heavy southern US snowstorm that occurred on February 11-12, 2010, using reanalysis, observations, and numerical simulations. This record breaking snowfall event represents an example of multiple upper level and low-level jets (LLJs) and their accompanying baroclinic zones. The analysis reveals the following synoptic scale processes as significant contributors: (1) upper level jet splitting and merging, (2) advection of cold arctic air at low levels by a large anticyclone, and (3) an incoming upper level shortwave trough. In addition to the synoptic scale processes, the following mesoscale features played a major role in this snowstorm event: coexisting potential (convective) instability and conditional symmetric instability, terrain blocking, and a double LLJ development process. Sensitivity experiments including (1) limiting the orographic effects of elevated plateau in Texas and the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico by reducing the terrain height to 225 meters, (2) the microphysics/latent heating effects, and (3) surface fluxes on the development and intensity of the snowstorm were also conducted by turning these options off in the numerical model. Of all three experiments, the surface flux experiment displays the least amount of influence on the developing frozen precipitation bands. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e8a9c8077d45437c8a4a86fee3d1fa44 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1687-9309 1687-9317 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2017-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Advances in Meteorology |
| spelling | doaj-art-e8a9c8077d45437c8a4a86fee3d1fa442025-08-20T03:21:09ZengWileyAdvances in Meteorology1687-93091687-93172017-01-01201710.1155/2017/63010266301026Multiscale Dynamics of the February 11-12, 2010, Deep South US Snowstorm EventStephany M. Taylor0Michael L. Kaplan1Yuh-Lang Lin2Department of Energy & Environmental Systems, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC, USADivision of Atmospheric Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV, USADepartment of Energy & Environmental Systems, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC, USAThis study investigates the synoptic/mesoscale dynamics responsible for an unusually heavy southern US snowstorm that occurred on February 11-12, 2010, using reanalysis, observations, and numerical simulations. This record breaking snowfall event represents an example of multiple upper level and low-level jets (LLJs) and their accompanying baroclinic zones. The analysis reveals the following synoptic scale processes as significant contributors: (1) upper level jet splitting and merging, (2) advection of cold arctic air at low levels by a large anticyclone, and (3) an incoming upper level shortwave trough. In addition to the synoptic scale processes, the following mesoscale features played a major role in this snowstorm event: coexisting potential (convective) instability and conditional symmetric instability, terrain blocking, and a double LLJ development process. Sensitivity experiments including (1) limiting the orographic effects of elevated plateau in Texas and the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico by reducing the terrain height to 225 meters, (2) the microphysics/latent heating effects, and (3) surface fluxes on the development and intensity of the snowstorm were also conducted by turning these options off in the numerical model. Of all three experiments, the surface flux experiment displays the least amount of influence on the developing frozen precipitation bands.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/6301026 |
| spellingShingle | Stephany M. Taylor Michael L. Kaplan Yuh-Lang Lin Multiscale Dynamics of the February 11-12, 2010, Deep South US Snowstorm Event Advances in Meteorology |
| title | Multiscale Dynamics of the February 11-12, 2010, Deep South US Snowstorm Event |
| title_full | Multiscale Dynamics of the February 11-12, 2010, Deep South US Snowstorm Event |
| title_fullStr | Multiscale Dynamics of the February 11-12, 2010, Deep South US Snowstorm Event |
| title_full_unstemmed | Multiscale Dynamics of the February 11-12, 2010, Deep South US Snowstorm Event |
| title_short | Multiscale Dynamics of the February 11-12, 2010, Deep South US Snowstorm Event |
| title_sort | multiscale dynamics of the february 11 12 2010 deep south us snowstorm event |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/6301026 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT stephanymtaylor multiscaledynamicsofthefebruary11122010deepsouthussnowstormevent AT michaellkaplan multiscaledynamicsofthefebruary11122010deepsouthussnowstormevent AT yuhlanglin multiscaledynamicsofthefebruary11122010deepsouthussnowstormevent |