In this study prospective control parameters are identified for diagnosing the continuity and deflection of cyclone tracks across a mesoscale mountain range. Based on idealized simulations of a westward-moving cyclone, it was found that the cyclone track becomes a discontinuous (continuous) track and the cyclone experiences more (less) deflection with a combination of small (large) values of Vmax/Nh, U/Nh, R/Ly, U/fLx, and Vmax/fR, and large (small) value of h/Lx. The symbols are defined as follows: Vmax the maximum tangential wind, N the Brunt–Väisälä frequency, h the mountain height, U the basic wind speed, R the radius of Vmax, f the Coriolis parameter, and Lx and Ly the horizontal scales of the mountain in x and y directions, respectively. A conceptual model is proposed to explain track deflection and continuity for a westward-moving cyclone encountering idealized topography representative of the Central Mountain Range of Taiwan. With weak orographic blocking, a cyclone crosses over the mountain range with some northward deflection. With moderate orographic blocking, northward deflection of a cyclone is greater upstream of the mountain range and a secondary, leeside vortex forms to the southwest of the mountain range, indicative of discontinuity in the cyclone track. With strong orographic blocking, a westward-moving cyclone is deflected southward and a secondary cyclone forms to the northwest of the mountain range. The northward or southward deflection of a cyclone track is explained by the orographic blocking on the outer circulation of the cyclone.

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A series of idealized numerical experiments and vorticity budget analyses is performed to examine several mechanisms proposed in previous studies to help understand the orographic influence on track deflection over a mesoscale mountain range. When an idealized tropical cyclone (TC) is embedded in a uniform, easterly flow and passes over a mountain with a moderate Froude number, it is deflected to the south upstream, moves over the mountain anticyclonically, and then resumes its westward movement. The vorticity budget analysis indicates that the TC movement can be predicted by the maximum vorticity tendency (VT). The orographic effects on the above TC track deflection are explained by the following: 1) Upstream of the mountain, the easterly basic flow is decelerated as a result of orographic blocking that causes the flow to become subgeostrophic, which advects the TC to the southwest, analogous to the advection of a point vortex embedded in a flow. The VT is primarily dominated by the horizontal vorticity advection. 2) The TC passes over the mountain anticyclonically, mainly steered by the orographically generated high pressure. This makes the TC move southwestward (northwestward) over the upslope (lee slope). The VT is mainly contributed by the horizontal vorticity advection with additional contributions from vorticity stretching and the residual term (which includes friction and subgrid turbulence mixing). 3) Over the lee slope and downstream of the mountain, the northwestward movement is enhanced by asymmetric diabatic heating, making the turning more abrupt. 4) Far downstream of the mountain, the VT is mainly contributed by the horizontal vorticity advection.

This study investigates the impact of wind speed and critical level height on dry convection above a prescribed heat source. This is done using the Advanced Regional Prediction System (ARPS) model in its two-dimensional form with an imposed 400-K soil potential temperature perturbation. The result of these experiments is the identification of three modes of convective plumes. The first, termed multicell convective plumes, is analogous to multicell convection generated from squall-line cold pools in the moist atmosphere. The second mode, a deep wave mode, consists of disturbances with wavelengths of 7-10 km and results from the multicell plumes perturbing the dynamically unstable shear flow centered at the critical level. The third mode, termed the intense fire plume, has stronger updrafts than the multicell mode and is marked by quasistationary movement and substantial low-level inflow and upper-level outflow. The presence of a critical level is shown to be crucial to the development of both the deep wave and intense plume modes. The intense fire plume mode is most consistent with the so-called fire storm, or conflagration phenomenon, in which strong updrafts and low-level indrafts can produce mesocyclones and tornadic fire whirls capable of significant damage. This study marks an important step in understanding the dynamics behind the fire storm phenomenon, as well as other types of convection (multicell and deep wave) that may be generated by a fire.