Abstract
Abstract A composite based on 39 cases of April and May Colorado cyclogenesis is used to examine the moisture distribution and its evolution during the early stages of Colorado cyclones. Moist static stability and its changes are also examined using the Showalter index. In the composite, a narrow tongue of relatively higher surface dew points extends northward on the day preceding cyclone development. This tongue expands and shifts eastward on the following two days. Maps displaying the specific humidity at four levels between the surface and 700 mb reveal that the moisture is mainly confined to 850 mb and below. East-west cross sections of isentropes, normal wind component and specific humidity provide increased vertical resolution, which confirms the concentration of moisture at low elevations. The normal wind component (approximately from the south) shows a diurnal tendency (stronger at night) but also the influence of synoptic male forcing. The strongest southerly winds and northward moisture transpor...
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