Diagnostic analyses of convective events — The effect of propagating gust fronts

Abstract

This paper is devoted to the testing experiment of a postprocessing tool aimed at the objective analysis of propagating gust fronts in a given convective environment. The tool is being developed to be applicable in the operational mode by utilizing NWP model outputs. The experiment was carried out on two summer convective cases which occurred in the Czech Republic. The cases were numerically simulated by the limited area NWP model LM COSMO with the horizontal resolution of 2.8 km. They represent different types of convective systems, both accompanied by objectively identifiable gust fronts and causing heavy precipitation. The event from July 2000 was characterised by the development of isolated thunderstorms. The other event from July 1998 was a long-lasting and organised convective system — a squall line. The hypothesis was that the developed postprocessing tool is capable to evaluate the role which downdraft outflows played in the decay and initiation of convective cells by interaction with convective environment and thus in prolongation of convection lifetime. The procedures of the Objective Analysis of Gust Fronts (OAGF) were applied to the thermodynamic outputs of the LM COSMO. The aim was to determine the position of gust fronts within the domain and to assess their speed of movement and the potential to initiate convection according to the properties of ambient vertical shear and stability as well as humidity conditions ahead of the respective downdraft outflows. In addition, the Radar Simulation Model (RSM) was employed to monitor the simulated convective systems in arbitrary PPI and RHI scans and to verify qualitatively the LM COSMO precipitation forecasts. The case studies has confirmed the applicability of the LM COSMO–OAGF chain and RSM, which may represent the potential for improving the operational nowcasting of hazardous convection phenomena. In both simulations, the objective gust fronts moved on into the vertical shear-favourable environment for triggering new convection. In addition to the dynamical organisation, there were also favourable stability and humidity conditions in the area of forced upward motions in the simulation of the event from July 2000.