Examination of Derecho Environments Using Proximity Soundings

Abstract

Observed upper air soundings that occurred within 2 h and 167 km of derechos were collected and analyzed to document atmospheric stability and wind shear conditions associated with long-lived convective windstorms. Sixty-seven derechos, accompanied by 113 proximity soundings, were identified during the years 1983–93. Owing to the large variability of the synoptic-scale environments associated with derechos, each derecho was further divided into categories based on the strength of synoptic-scale forcing associated with each event. Derechos are shown to develop and persist in a wide range of shear and instability conditions. Although this range of shear and instability narrows when derechos are grouped by synoptic-scale forcing strength, considerable variation of values remains, primarily with the shear. These results suggest that ambient shear and instability values alone are not sufficient to distinguish derecho environments from those associated with nonsevere mesoscale convective system (MCS) environments. Though the ground-relative (ambient) shear values vary, more consistency is found in the system-relative winds. It is found that midlevel system-relative winds are consistently weak, while low-level system-relative inflow is strong. This is especially valid for events associated with weak synoptic-scale forcing. Fast forward propagation is associated with weak system-relative midlevel winds, which may in turn be associated with outflow-dominated storms having strong cold pools at the ground. In addition, a comparison between weak forcing derecho and nonderecho MCSs suggests that it is the strength of the mean flow, and its possible effects on speed of movement, that enhance the potential for sustained severe wind gusts at the surface, given similar thermodynamic environments. These results indicate that there is a larger range of shear and instability environments associated with derechos than has been suggested by some observational studies and numerical cloud simulations. In addition, little correlation is evident in operational observations between events with strong cold pools and those with correspondingly strong low-level (0–2/0–3 km) ambient shear. Owing to the large variance of convective available potential energy (CAPE)/shear values found in this observational study, forecasters should be aware of the potential for derecho formation within environments with weaker shear than suggested by numerical simulations. This is especially true in the absence of a deep, progressive midtropospheric trough and an associated surface cold front. When synoptic-scale forcing is strong, derechos can develop and persist within environments with almost no CAPE evident on nearby upper air soundings.