Thunderstorms Flashcards
Conditions required for Cb development
- An adequate amount of water vapour at low levels
- Conditional instability through depth (= release of latent heat)
- Trigger mechanism
Types of trigger mechanisms
- Convection
- Orography
- Frontal lifting (widespread ascent)
Classifications of Thunderstorms
- Airmass (parcel of air with similar characteristics)
2. Frontal (boundary b/t two different types of airmasses, triggered by 3 main mechanisms)
How can Airmass Thunderstorms be triggered?
- Convection (localised/stationary and traveling TS)
- Orographic
- Nocturnal lifting (tropics - islands etc)
How can Frontal Thunderstorms be triggered?
- SFC Frontal/convergence TS (cold fronts e.g. southerly moving North is more likely to cause TS, due heating from SFC upwards)
- SFC trough TS
- Upper trough TS
- Warm front embedded TS
The lifecycle of a TS
- Cumulus stage
- Mature stage
- Anvil/dissipating stage
Overall time of life cycle is 1.5 hrs.
Describe the cumulus stage in the life cycle of a TS
Any dangers at this stage? Time taken?
- Trigger initiates lifting, a TCU begins to form.
- There are only updrafting winds in a TCU, which carries SCWDs upwards.
- Some SCWDs freeze, creating snow and ice. Eventually enough of these form at the top for it to fall, melt and create the first rain at the SFC.
- Nil dangers except severe icing at this stage (no downdrafts to worry about). 30 mins.
Describe the mature stage in the life cycle of a TS
Any dangers? Time Taken?
- First heavy rain at SFC
- An anvil will begin to form at the top of the cloud as the SCWDs begin to spread out horizontally beneath the tropopause.
- Any of the EIGHT hazards now exist, tornadoes are unlikely however from stationary Cbs. 30 mins.
Describe the Anvil/Dissipating stage of a TS
Any dangers? Time taken?
- The top of the anvil will start to become fibrous (due to formation of cirrus)
- Updrafts cease and hazards start to dissipate. 30 mins.
List the hazards created by Cb (8)
- Severe turbulence (due up/down drafts - centre to base should be avoided)
- Severe icing (in clusters of Cb, area above FZL 0 to -12 degrees should be avoided)
- Electrical phenomena (Lightning/static charges)
- Hail (ice crystals cycled in up/down drafts)
- Poor Visibility (due heavy precip)
- Tornadoes (in severe TS, over water they are called waterspouts, both are rare in NZ)
- Microbursts
- First gust/gust front. (sudden strong downdraft of cold, dense air = Low level wind shear, characterised by roll clouds)
Define Microbursts
- Localised severe wind pattern driven by extremely strong downdrafts from dense, cooled air. Can exceed 100kts in the vertical.
- Microburst winds intensify 5 mins after touch down, general lifespan is 15 mins.
- Can be Dry (occur with high based TS, rain evaporates before reaching SFC. More dangerous)
- Can be Wet (When precip accompanies microburst to SFC. More common in NZ due moist lower atmosphere)
Formation speeds for:
- Non-severe TS
- Severe TS
- Super Cells
- 1200 - 2500ft per minute
- 5500ft per minute
- 12,000 - 15,000ft per minute
Enhancing factors of glaze ice
When air is forced to rise (from frontal/lee waves/orographic, CONVECTION - TS)
TS Characteristics in NZ
- Ave about 35,000ft in height, about that of the tropopause.
(20,000ft in S in winter, 40,000ft in N in summer) - Less hazardous/destructive compared to TS in the US
Lightning in NZ
- Cloud to ground strikes are only 10% of all strikes.
- Other 90% is cloud to cloud or within the cloud.
- In general, lightning can be either positively or negatively charged.