Abstract
We present a numerical investigation of a non-forecast sea-breeze-initiated thunderstorm that occurred unexpectedly in the eastern complex area of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain) on 7 August 2008. A high horizontal (2.5-km grid spacing) and vertical (60 sigma levels) resolution set-up of the hydrostatic HIRLAM model is used to simulate the evolution of isolated convection associated with sea breezes. The convective inhibition, convective available potential energy, vertical velocity, wind and precipitation fields are examined here in order to analyze the role of low-level sea-breeze convergence and sea-breeze front development in initiating intense convective activity (heavy rainfall, hail and gusty winds) under weakly defined synoptic disturbances. We observe that convective inhibition layers are eroded by sea-breeze frontal zones, increasing the convective available potential energy due to the enhanced vertical motion, forcing parcels to lift to the level of free convection. We show that the location of thunderstorms along the east coast of the Iberian Peninsula is partly controlled by the impact of sea-breeze fronts on modulating the diurnal spatio-temporal evolution of convective inhibition, convective available potential energy and updrafts.
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