Abstract
Abstract The evolution of a deep North Atlantic cyclone, which caused devastating avalanches in northwest (NW) Iceland in October 1995, was investigated. As the main tool for this investigation, potential vorticity analysis was used. This allows the quantification and comparison of the roles of different processes that contribute to the cyclone deepening at different stages. Interpretation of potential vorticity inversions and isentropic air trajectories yields the following picture of the cyclone development. The thermal field over the North Atlantic had acquired strong west–east gradients due to a combination of advection of cold air southeastward from a cold cyclonic gyre south of Iceland and advection of warm air northward on the westward flank of a warm anticyclonic ridge over central Europe. A low-level baroclinic wave forming just south of Ireland was rapidly reinforced due to interaction with a descending, high-value, upper-level potential vorticity anomaly and was isentropically advected from the...
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