Tropical Cyclones

Firestorms

“…The trial subdivisional analysis proposed for firestorms continues the analogy (introduced earlier) with severe vortical convective (meteorological) storms of the troposphere, since the subdomains are very closely related to those found useful 'n examining a variety of rapidly rotating atmospheric flows ranging in ldteral scale from the tornado to the tropical cyclone (Barcilon 1967;Carrier, Hammond, and George 1971;Carrier 1971aCarrier , 1971bFendell 1974;Carrier and Fendell 1978). The model combines entirely conventional, long-established features with some more novel proposals.…”

“…§The criterion of low ambient wind for the onset of a firestorm raises several points. Tropical cyclones form in environments in which there is little vertical wind shear to cause ventilation, i.e., in environments in which wind parallel to the surface of the ocean varies modestly in magnitude and direction with altitude above the surface, so that a vertical column of rising lower-density air creates surface-level horizontal pressure differences from hydrostatic considerations (Fendell 1974). Strong vertical wind shear couli disperse the convective column so that no appreciable surface-level pressure difference would arise, and an organized airmass with lower-tropospheric rotation would not ensue.…”