Laserfiche WebLink
<br />Air-mass storms can transition into a line containing multiple <br />cells exhibiting some characteristics similar to that of a squall <br />line. During the development of these multi-cellular lines cloud <br />base updrafts frequently shift location although still found around <br />several of the individual cells comprising it and can make proper <br />cloud base treatment difficult. The location of the important <br />updrafts on these type of cloud systems usually develop along a <br />line in its frontal portion and can be from a few miles to many <br />miles in length. Other times, the best seeding area may be around <br />only one end of the line. Multi-celled lines may also appear as a <br />remnant of a weakened squall line or as part of a line of storms <br />associated with fronts, surface troughs and thunderstorm outflows. <br /> <br />The cloud system known as the squall line is an organized line <br />of cumulonimbus clouds with its important updraft area found along <br />its leading edge. Updrafts pertinent to the precipitation process <br />(and hail) are seldom found along the trailing edges of squall <br />lines except at the end of a line or at significant breaks within <br />the line. Squall lines can be extensive, crossing a few counties <br />in a state, or cross even more than one state; frequently they are <br />associated with surface troughing or frontal passages. Updrafts can <br />exceed 2000 feet per minute, often producing "scud" clouds visible <br />nearly to the ground. Inflow areas are usually smooth ahead of the <br />line; however, when storms collapse within the line strong outflows <br />are pushed out rapidly ahead of the line and can cause severe <br />turbulence. <br /> <br />Convective Scale Interaction is a term describing a process in <br />which a collapsing storm produces precipitation and associated <br />downdrafts strong enough to create a gust front, also called an <br />outflow boundary, which acts to initiate new storm growth at some <br />distance from its' "parent storm", even for a hundred miles or more. <br />A considerable volume o~ air is thrust below cloud base which often <br />undercuts warm, moist air as it fans out below the cloud base. When <br />this occurs, the gust front lifts the warm, moist air ahead of it <br />into unstable air in which new storms can grow rapidly, mature, <br />collapse, produce its own gust front. and repeat the same process. <br />Satelli te views of clouds seen forming along these moving gust <br />fronts which align themselves in a semi-circular, fan-shaped <br />orientation are called "arc-clouds" and can develop into large, <br />severe convective storm systems. Single storms, multiple storms and <br />supercells all have been identified as forming along these gust <br />fronts. One study in the southeas"Cern part of the U.S.A. estimated <br />60% - 75% of the storms existing in late afternoon on a typical <br />storm day were caused by scale interaction. Two colliding gust <br />fronts, or more, frequently create extremely severe storms. <br />However, despite the severe turbulence found beneath each of them, <br />the air in front of and just above the gust fronts is usually very <br />smooth. Scale interaction as described here occurs frequently on <br />the WKWM Program and when identified on radar or reported by <br />pilots, its occurrence and direction of movement is monitored <br />carefully. <br /> <br />11 <br />