Forecasting the Impacts of Strong Wintertime Post-Cold Front Winds in the Northern Plains

Kapela, Anton F.; Leftwich, Preston W.; Ess, Richard Van

doi:10.1175/1520-0434(1995)010<0229:ftiosw>2.0.co;2

Cited by 14 publications

(33 citation statements)

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“…20, 0000 UTC 30 January 2008 model analyses of 1000-, 925-, and 850-hPa temperature are shown. The cold front is near the same location at all three levels, indicating cold advection is occurring over a deep layer, and causing the steep nature of the front and rapid pressure rise (Kapela et al 1995). Here, the cold front does not slope further northwest with height (as one would expect with a cold front with a more typical slope), but instead shows up at the same horizontal location at each height.…”

Section: ) Summary Of Potential Operational Cluesmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…However, when the cold frontal surface is exceptionally steep along its leading edge, the sudden increase in hydrostatic pressure produced at the surface by the rapid increase in density of the atmosphere over a deep column may produce a strong horizontal pressure gradient and associated damaging winds (Kapela et al 1995). In a steep cold front, the winds are typically not geostrophic or even semigeostrophic (Bluestein 1993), but instead blow across the isobars at a sharp angle from high to low pressure.…”

Section: Cold Frontsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Once again, because a cold front like this produces a rapid increase in pressure, the nonlinear impedance relation indicates that higher wind speeds may be achieved than would be possible in a rapid decrease in pressure of similar amplitude. In addition, when the isentropes are very steep (the lapse rates are nearly adiabatic), higher winds front aloft are mixed down to the surface more readily (Kapela et al 1995).…”

Section: Cold Frontsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One can look at the amplitude and duration of pressure rises in 1-min Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) data as the cold front passes by upstream stations, high wind gusts in METAR observations, or damage in local storm reports. In trying to anticipate high winds along a cold front farther in advance, one may examine isobaric charts for large pressure gradients, and isallobaric charts for rapid pressure rises (Kapela et al 1995). Steep lapse rates, often nearly dry adiabatic, also indicate nearly vertical isentropes and the ability for higher momentum air to mix down to the surface more effectively (Kapela et al 1995).…”

Section: ) Summary Of Potential Operational Cluesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In trying to anticipate high winds along a cold front farther in advance, one may examine isobaric charts for large pressure gradients, and isallobaric charts for rapid pressure rises (Kapela et al 1995). Steep lapse rates, often nearly dry adiabatic, also indicate nearly vertical isentropes and the ability for higher momentum air to mix down to the surface more effectively (Kapela et al 1995). In addition, one may look at model cross sections of potential temperature (normal to the front) and note whether or not the isentropes are very steep or vertical.…”

Section: ) Summary Of Potential Operational Cluesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Review and case studies of non-traditional severe local windstorms

Coleman¹,

Knupp²

2016

J. Operational Meteor.

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Coleman, T. A., and K. R. Knupp, 2016: Review and case studies of non-traditional severe local windstorms. ABSTRACT Several phenomena not traditionally thought of as severe local storms may produce high winds and subsequent wind damage. These include wake lows, solitary waves, and steep cold fronts. In this paper, the basic dynamics of these phenomena are reviewed, including how they produce strong winds. Impedance relations are shown to provide a good indicator of the potential winds from these pressure perturbation events. A case study of each phenomenon producing significant winds or wind damage is presented, including operational clues that the event is imminent or in progress.

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Section: ) Summary Of Potential Operational Cluesmentioning

confidence: 69%

Section: Cold Frontsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Cold Frontsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: ) Summary Of Potential Operational Cluesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: ) Summary Of Potential Operational Cluesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Review and case studies of non-traditional severe local windstorms

Coleman¹,

Knupp²

2016

J. Operational Meteor.

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A climatology of convective and non‐convective high‐wind events across the eastern United States during 1973–2015

Murley

Durkee

Gilliland

et al. 2020

Intl Journal of Climatology

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This study investigates convective and non-convective high-wind events (CWEs and NCWEs) across the eastern U.S. during a 43-year climatological period (1973-2015) for spatial and temporal variations in wind speed and direction. Hourly surface wind observations were gathered from the National Centers for Environmental Information Data Center Integrated Surface Database (NCEI-ISD). This dataset includes quality-controlled wind observations from 391 first-order weather stations in the eastern U.S. Findings show that high-wind events (HWEs) meeting established National Weather Service criteria were most concentrated in the West North Central and South regions (High Plains) and fewer CWEs occurred during the study period compared to NCWEs. Gust CWEs increased significantly (1.95 days year −1) while sustained NCWEs decreased significantly (−0.58 days year −1). Mean wind directions were observed primarily in the southwest and northwest quadrants. Mean wind speed decreased at a statistically significant level for sustained CWEs, gust CWEs, and sustained NCWEs. Developing an extensive climatological understanding of convective and non-convective high-wind events is beneficial to mitigate damage and fatalities caused by these events.

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