Patterns in 500 hPa geopotential height associated with temporal clusters of tropical cyclone tornadoes

Meteorological applications

article

Todd W. Moore¹  Richard W. Dixon² 

[1] Department of Geography and Environmental Planning, Towson University;Department of Geography, Texas State University-San Marcos

关键词: synoptic climatology;    synoptic patterns;    tropical cyclones;    tornadoes;   

DOI  :  10.1002/met.1456

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Wiley

【 摘 要 】

Tropical cyclones are known to produce tornadoes, but the total number of tornadoes a tropical cyclone will produce, or the rate at which it will produce tornadoes throughout its lifespan, is not well understood. To understand better the link between the large-scale environment in which a tropical cyclone is located and tornado production, this study analyses and classifies 500 hPa geopotential height plots that correspond to temporal clusters of tornadoes. The primary 500 hPa patterns identified in this study represent various stages of interaction with the mid-latitude westerlies that a tropical cyclone may experience as it tracks from the tropics and subtropics to the mid-latitudes. Statistical analysis of the number of tornadoes per cluster suggests that tropical cyclones produce more tornadoes when they begin to interact with, or become embedded within, the mid-latitude westerlies.

【 授权许可】

CC BY|CC BY-NC|CC BY-NC-ND