Analysis of outflow boundary collisions in North-Central Alabama.

摘要

Ninety-four outflow boundary (OB) collisions were documented in North-Central Alabama over the summers of 2005, 2006, and 2007 using the Advanced Radar for Meteorological and Operational Research (ARMOR) in Huntsville, AL. Several examinations were done on these collisions in order to determine which factors cause convective initiation (CI) more often from OB collisions. The radar reflectivity of both OBs, angle of collision between both OBs, and time of day that CI occurs most often were analyzed. Also, whether or not there were cumulus clouds in either/both OBs or in the area of collision was examined using the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES-12) Visible Satellite imagery. In addition, twenty-three OBs were examined as they passed over Huntsville, AL using the Mobile Integrated Profiling System (MIPS) instruments in order to analyze what makes OBs of higher radar reflectivity (∼ 15-20 dBZ) different from those with lower radar reflectivity (∼ 0-5 dBZ).