Wind Profiler Observations Research Articles

Wave-Induced Wind in the Marine Boundary Layer

AbstractRecent field observations and large-eddy simulations have shown that the impact of fast swell on the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) might be stronger than previously assumed. For low to moderate winds blowing in the same direction as the waves, swell propagates faster than the mean wind. The momentum flux above the sea surface will then have two major components: the turbulent shear stress, directed downward, and the swell-induced stress, directed upward. For sufficiently high wave age values, the wave-induced component becomes increasingly dominant, and the total momentum flux will be directed into the atmosphere. Recent field measurements have shown that this upward momentum transfer from the ocean into the atmosphere has a considerable impact on the surface layer flow dynamics and on the turbulence structure of the overall MABL. The vertical wind profile will no longer exhibit a logarithmic shape because an acceleration of the airflow near the surface will take place, generating a low-level wave-driven wind maximum (a wind jet). As waves propagate away from their generation area as swell, some of the wave momentum will be returned to the atmosphere in the form of wave-driven winds.A model that qualitatively reproduces the wave-following atmospheric flow and the wave-generated wind maximum, as seen from measurements, is proposed. The model assumes a stationary momentum and turbulent kinetic energy balance and uses the dampening of the waves at the surface to describe the momentum flux from the waves to the atmosphere. In this study, simultaneous observations of wind profiles, turbulent fluxes, and wave spectra during swell events are presented and compared with the model. In the absence of an established model for the linear damping ratio during swell conditions, the model is combined with observations to estimate the wave damping. For the cases in which the observations showed a pronounced swell signal and almost no wind waves, the agreement between observed and modeled wind profiles is remarkably good. The resulting attenuation length is found to be relatively short, which suggests that the estimated damping ratios are too large. The authors attribute this, at least partly, to processes not accounted for by the model, such as the existence of an atmospheric background wind. In the model, this extra momentum must be supplied by the waves in terms of a larger damping ratio.

Observations and Numerical Simulations of Subrotor Vortices during T-REX

Abstract High-resolution observations from scanning Doppler and aerosol lidars, wind profiler radars, as well as surface and aircraft measurements during the Terrain-induced Rotor Experiment (T-REX) provide the first comprehensive documentation of small-scale intense vortices associated with atmospheric rotors that form in the lee of mountainous terrain. Although rotors are already recognized as potential hazards for aircraft, it is proposed that these small-scale vortices, or subrotors, are the most dangerous features because of strong wind shear and the transient nature of the vortices. A life cycle of a subrotor event is captured by scanning Doppler and aerosol lidars over a 5-min period. The lidars depict an amplifying vortex, with a characteristic length scale of ∼500–1000 m, that overturns and intensifies to a maximum spanwise vorticity greater than 0.2 s−1. Radar wind profiler observations document a series of vortices, characterized by updraft/downdraft couplets and regions of enhanced reversed flow, that are generated in a layer of strong vertical wind shear and subcritical Richardson number. The observations and numerical simulations reveal that turbulent subrotors occur most frequently along the leading edge of an elevated sheet of horizontal vorticity that is a manifestation of boundary layer shear and separation along the lee slopes. As the subrotors break from the vortex sheet, intensification occurs through vortex stretching and in some cases tilting processes related to three-dimensional turbulent mixing. The subrotors and ambient vortex sheet are shown to intensify through a modest increase in the upstream inversion strength, which illustrates the predictability challenges for the turbulent characterization of rotors.

Wind profiler observations of a sting jet

AbstractSome of the most damaging surface winds experienced in midlatitude cyclonic storms have been attributed to a phenomenon known as a sting jet. Previous studies have deduced how sting jets develop from their midtropospheric origin, but there have been no direct observations of these wind features in the midtroposphere. During Windstorm Jeanette on 27 October 2002, the tip of the storm's cloud head passed over a VHF wind profiler at Aberystwyth, Wales, allowing the structure of a sting jet to be measured with high spatial and temporal resolution. These observations showed a multiple slantwise structure to the sting jet region, with two tails of increased winds that persisted after the passing of the cloud head aloft. Simulations by the Met Office Unified Model (UM) showed that the slantwise structure followed θw surfaces, and that the sting jet descended along θ surfaces as it passed over the UK, accelerating and drying during its descent. The horizontal and vertical scales of the observed structures are compatible with slantwise convection releasing conditional symmetric instability within the cloud head. Further observations of the sting jet were obtained by a UHF wind profiler at Cardington in Eastern England, where the sting jet had merged with the cold conveyor belt circulating around the storm. An unstable temperature profile in the lowest kilometre over Cardington enabled damaging gusts of strong winds to be brought to the surface in convective plumes; however, this strong vertical mixing was not represented correctly in the UM. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society

Methods for processing the data of wind-profile observations over the ocean

We describe the in-line methods for processing the results of observations of the vertical distribution of wind speed with an aim of evaluation of the parameters characterizing the stable state of the surface layer of the atmosphere and the roughness of the sea surface. It is proposed to use these data for the interpretation of the results of satellite scatterometric measurements of the surface wind speed in order to increase their accuracy.

A Nonclassical Gust Front and a Solitary Wave Embedded within a Typhoon as Observed with Doppler Radar and Wind Profiler

Observations from a Doppler radar, a wind profiler, and a meteorological tower were used to study the evolution of two thin-line echoes that were observed in the radar reflectivity field over the Kanto Plain of Japan as Typhoon Higos (0221) passed in October 2002. Both thin-line echoes were accompanied by gusty winds and followed by cold airflows, and both passed the field site of the Meteorological Research Institute (MRI) in Tsukuba, Japan. Data from the MRI instrument array and from a surface observation network revealed that the first thin-line echo was caused by a gust front, and the second thin-line echo was caused by a solitary wave.Although it was demonstrated that the first thin-line echo was due to a gust front, this gust front could not be categorized as a so-called thunderstorm gust front because it had no parent thunderstorm; rather, Doppler radar and wind profiler observations suggested that both relatively strong (∼4ms-1 downdrafts and large momentum transported by the downdrafts from aloft (∼4 km) to lower levels produced and enhanced near-surface winds behind the gust front. In contrast, the solitary wave associated with the second thin-line echo likely developed as another gust front that generated from an outer rainband to the south of the typhoon center met a stable layer formed by the cold outflow behind the gust front associated with the first thin-line echo. The ducting mechanism that enabled the solitary wave to propagate was also revealed from the wind profiler and radiosonde measurements.

UHF wind profiler observations during a tropical pre-monsoon thunderstorm — A case study

This paper describes an investigation of a pre-monsoon thunderstorm that occurred over a tropical station, Pune (18°32′N, 73°51′E), India from observations made using a 404 MHz wind profiler (UHF radar). High resolution profiler data has been used to investigate the time–height variations of vertical velocities, echo power, spectral width and horizontal wind shear in the height range 1.05 km to 8 km on 16 May 2004 during 0800 to 2100 h local time. Rapidly varying vertical velocities (updrafts and downdrafts) and large values of vertical spectral width indicating changes in rain drop size distributions during the period of intense convective activity have been observed. Also, enhanced echo strengths associated with the radar bright band and increased low level wind shears have been noticed. The precipitation echoes dominate the UHF signal with Doppler velocity of hydrometeors reaching as high as 7 m s − 1 . The vertical profile of radar measured horizontal wind direction shows the ‘veering’ of wind indicating the presence of low-level warm air advection. Temporal variations in surface meteorological parameters recorded at the radar site showed changes typical of the various stages of a tropical pre-monsoon thunderstorm with a pressure deficit of about 4 hPa at peak activity. UHF radars/wind profilers provide wind information at high temporal and spatial resolution which is useful to study events of convection in detail.

The Temporal Evolution of Convective Indices in Storm-Producing Environments

Abstract Temporal changes in stability and shear associated with the development of thunderstorms are quantified using the enhanced temporal resolution of combined Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI) thermodynamic profile retrievals and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 404-MHz wind profiler observations. From 1999 to 2003, AERI systems were collocated with NOAA wind profilers at five sites in the southern Great Plains of the United States, creating a near-continuous dataset of atmospheric soundings in both the prestorm and poststorm environments with a temporal resolution of up to 10 min between observations. Median values for several standard severe weather indices were calculated for tornadic storms and nontornadic supercells. It was found that instability generally increases throughout the preconvective period, reaching a peak roughly 1 h before a tornado forms or a nontornadic supercell forms large hail. Wind shear for both tornadic and nontornadic storms starts to increase roughly 3 h before storm time. However, indices are highly variable between time and space and may not be representative of the environment at large.

Observed and WRF-Simulated Low-Level Winds in a High-Ozone Episode during the Central California Ozone Study

Abstract A case study is carried out for the 29 July–3 August 2000 episode of the Central California Ozone Study (CCOS), a typical summertime high-ozone event in the Central Valley of California. The focus of the study is on the low-level winds that control the transport and dispersion of pollutants in the Central Valley. An analysis of surface and wind profiler observations from the CCOS field experiment indicates a number of important low-level flows in the Central Valley: 1) the incoming low-level marine airflow through the Carquinez Strait into the Sacramento River delta, 2) the diurnal cycle of upslope–downslope flows, 3) the up- and down-valley flow in the Sacramento Valley, 4) the nocturnal low-level jet in the San Joaquin Valley, and 5) the orographically induced mesoscale eddies (the Fresno and Schultz eddies). A numerical simulation using the advanced research version of the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF) reproduces the overall pattern of the observed low-level flows. The physical reasons behind the quantitative differences between the observed and simulated low-level winds are also analyzed and discussed, although not enough observations are available to diagnose thoroughly the model-error sources. In particular, hodograph analysis is applied to provide physical insight into the impact of the large-scale, upper-level winds on the locally forced low-level winds. It is found that the diurnal rotation of the observed and simulated hodographs of the local winds varies spatially in the Central Valley, resulting from the combining effect of topographically induced local forcing and the interaction between the upper-level winds and the aforementioned low-level flows. The trajectory analysis not only further confirms that WRF reproduces the observed low-level transport processes reasonably well but also shows that the simulated upper-level winds have noticeable errors. The results from this study strongly suggest that the errors in the WRF-simulated low-level winds are related not only to the errors in the model’s surface conditions and atmospheric boundary layer physics but also to the errors in the upper-level forcing mostly prescribed in the model’s lateral boundary conditions.

Characteristics of atmospheric stability above an evergreen forest in central Cambodia

AbstractMicrometeorological observations from a tower in a forest in central Cambodia were used to estimate forest water yields. For these estimates, the turbulent boundary layer was identified from tower observations of wind profiles. Indices including the stability length, friction velocity, and Richardson numbers were calculated to diagnose boundary layer characteristics. The calculated stability length indicated that the atmospheric condition was between weakly unstable and weakly stable 63% of the time. The calculated friction velocity exceeded 0·5 m s−1 77% of the time, and the calculated Richardson number was smaller than the critical number (0·2) 72% of the time. The indices calculated in this study indicate that the degree of atmospheric stability over this evergreen forest in central Cambodia is generally suitable for tower flux observations. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

High-Resolution Observations and Model Simulations of the Life Cycle of an Intense Mesoscale Snowband over the Northeastern United States

Abstract This paper investigates the structural and dynamical evolution of an intense mesoscale snowband occurring 25–26 December 2002 over the northeastern United States. Dual-Doppler, wind profiler, aircraft, and water vapor observations in concert with the fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–NCAR Mesoscale Model run at 4-km grid spacing are used to highlight evolutionary aspects of a snowband unresolved by previous studies. The high-resolution observations and model simulations show that band formation was coincident with a sharpening of a midlevel trough and associated increase in frontogenesis in an environment of conditional and inertial instability. Band maturity was marked by increasing conditional stability and a threefold increase in frontogenetical forcing. Band dissipation occurred as the midlevel trough and associated frontogenetical forcing weakened, while the conditional stability continued to increase. The effect of changing ascent is shown to dominate over changing moisture in explaining band dissipation in this case. Unconventional aspects of band structure and dynamics revealed by the high-resolution data are discussed, including the location of the band relative to the frontogenesis maximum, increasing stability during the band-formation process, and the presence of inertial instability. The model realistically predicted the band evolution; however, maximum precipitation was underforecast within the banded region by ∼30% at 4-km grid spacing, and the axis of heaviest precipitation was displaced ∼50 km to the southeast of the observed location. Higher horizontal model resolution is shown to contribute toward improved QPF in this case; however, it appears more dramatic improvement may be gained by better simulating the frontogenesis, stability, and moisture evolution.

Characteristics of Low Level Jets over Okinawa in the Baiu and post-Baiu Seasons Revealed by Wind Profiler Observations

Hourly data from a 400-MHz Wind Profiler Radar (WPR) during the warm season months of three years are used to develop a climatology of the low level jet (LLJ) over Okinawa, a Japan subtropical island. Long-term observations of the wind with high temporal and vertical resolution allowed an investigation of the LLJ statistics. Characteristics of the LLJ are investigated in two subperiods: during the Baiu season over Okinawa Island and the post-Baiu season when the Baiu front has moved further north of Okinawa. The investigation result shows that stronger LLJs occur more frequently during the Baiu season, when heavy precipitation is mostly observed compared to the post-Baiu season. The appearance frequency of the maximum speed height of LLJs has a double peak structure in the vertical; lower and higher peaks appear around heights of 600 m and 1.3 km, respectively. In the rain cases with daily rainfall equal and more than 1 mm, another peak also appears around a height of 3 km.The frequency of LLJ occurrence exhibits a diurnal variation with the maximum in the nighttime and early morning, especially in the non-rain cases. The examination with upper-air sounding observations suggests that the nocturnal preference of LLJ occurrence is brought from the reduction of vertical mixing in the atmospheric boundary layer after sunset. Additional investigations of LLJs, using data from the WPR network of the Japan Meteorological Agency for three other stations surrounding Okinawa Island, provide more evidence for the role of the atmospheric boundary layer in generating the diurnal variation of LLJ occurrence.

Wind profiler observations of a monsoon low-level jet over a tropical Indian station

Abstract. Three-year high-resolution wind observations of the wind profiler have been utilized to characterize the diurnal and seasonal features of the monsoon Low-Level Jet (LLJ) over a tropical station, Gadanki (13.5° N, 79.2° E), with a focus on the diurnal variability of low-level winds. The Boreal summer monsoon winds show a conspicuously strong westerly LLJ with average wind speed exceeding 20 m s−1. The L-band wind profiler measurements have shown an advantage of better height and time resolutions over the conventional radiosonde method for diurnal wind measurements. An interesting diurnal oscillation of LLJ core has been observed. It is varying in the height range of 1.8±0.6 km with the maximum and minimum intensity noticed during the early morning and afternoon hours, respectively. The jet core (wind maxima) height is observed to coincide with the inversion height. Strong wind shears are normally located beneath the LLJ core. The sole wind profiler observations are capable of identifying the monsoon phases, such as onset, break and active spells, etc. The mutual influence between the LLJ and the boundary layer has been discussed. One notices that the observed LLJ diurnal structures depend on the local convective activity, wind shears and turbulence activity associated with boundary layer winds. The day-to-day change in the LLJ structure depends on the latitudinal position of the LLJ core.

Wind Profiler Observations over the Central Equatorial Pacific: Optimizing Processing to Improve Quality and Height Coverage

Abstract UHF (boundary layer) and VHF (troposphere–stratosphere) wind profilers have operated at Christmas Island (2°N, 157°W) in the central equatorial Pacific from 1986 to 2002. Observed profiles of winds are sparse over the tropical oceans, but these are critical for understanding convective organization and the interaction of convection and waves. While the zonal winds below about 10 km have previously shown good agreement with the National Centers for Environmental Prediction–National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP–NCAR) reanalysis (RI), significant differences were found above a height of 10 km that were attributed to the low detectability of the wind signal in the profiler observations. Meridional winds at all levels show less agreement, with differences attributed to errors of representativeness and the sparseness of observations in the region. This paper builds on previous work using the Christmas Island wind profilers and presents the results of reprocessing the 17-yr profiler record with techniques that enhance the detectability of the signal at upper heights. The results are compared with nearby rawinsonde soundings obtained during a special campaign at Christmas Island and the RI, NCEP–Department of Energy (DOE) reanalysis (RII), and the 40-yr European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Re-Analysis (ERA-40). The newly processed profiler zonal and meridional wind observations show good agreement with rawinsonde observations from 0.5 to 19 km above sea level, with difference statistics similar to other studies. There is also significant improvement in the agreement of RI and RII reanalysis and profiler upper-level zonal and meridional winds from previous studies. A comparison of RII and ERA-40 reanalysis shows that difference statistics between the reanalyses are similar in magnitude to differences between the profiler and the individual reanalyses.

Particle backscatter and extinction profiling with the spaceborne high-spectral-resolution Doppler lidar ALADIN: methodology and simulations

The European Space Agency will launch the Atmospheric Laser Doppler Instrument (ALADIN) for global wind profile observations in the near future. The potential of ALADIN to measure the optical properties of aerosol and cirrus, as well, is investigated based on simulations. A comprehensive data analysis scheme is developed that includes (a) the correction of Doppler-shifted particle backscatter interference in the molecular backscatter channels (cross-talk effect), (b) a procedure that allows us to check the quality of the cross-talk correction, and (c) the procedures for the independent retrieval of profiles of the volume extinction and backscatter coefficients of particles considering the height-dependent ALADIN signal resolution. The error analysis shows that the particle backscatter and extinction coefficients, and the corresponding extinction-to-backscatter ratio (lidar ratio), can be obtained with an overall (systematic+statistical) error of 10%-15%, 15%-30%, and 20%-35%, respectively, in tropospheric aerosol and dust layers with extinction values from 50 to 200 Mm(-1); 700-shot averaging (50 km horizontal resolution) is required. Vertical signal resolution is 500 m in the lower troposphere and 1000 m in the free troposphere. In cirrus characterized by extinction coefficients of 200 Mm(-1) and an optical depth of >0.2, backscatter coefficients, optical depth, and column lidar ratios can be obtained with 25%-35% relative uncertainty and a horizontal resolution of 10 km (140 shots). In the stratosphere, only the backscatter coefficient of aerosol layers and polar stratospheric clouds can be retrieved with an acceptable uncertainty of 15%-30%. Vertical resolution is 2000 m.

Seasonal variations of the vertical fluxes of heat and horizontal momentum in the mesopause region at Starfire Optical Range, New Mexico

Lidar observations of wind and temperature profiles between 85 and 100 km, conducted at the Starfire Optical Range (SOR), New Mexico, are used to characterize the seasonal variations of the vertical fluxes of heat and horizontal momentum and their relationships to gravity wave activity in this region. The wind and temperature variances exhibit strong 6‐month oscillations with maxima during the summer and winter that are about 3 times larger than the spring and fall minima. The vertical heat flux also exhibits strong 6‐month oscillations with maximum downward flux during winter and summer. The downward heat flux peaks near 88 km where it exceeds −3 K m s−1 in mid‐winter and is nearly zero during the spring and fall equinoxes. The heat flux is significantly different from zero only when the local instability probability exceeds 8%, i.e., the annual mean for the mesopause region. The momentum fluxes also exhibit strong seasonal variations, which are related to the horizontal winds. Two‐thirds of the time the horizontal momentum flux is directed against the mean wind field.

Boundary layer effects above a Himalayan valley near Mount Everest

Periodical Wind Profiler and Radio Acoustic Sounding System observations have been commenced at the Himalayas' northern slope nearby Mount Everest in September 2005. Primarily data sets obtained 25 km remote from the glacier edge are utilized for a preliminary discussion of planetary boundary layer circulation resembling high alpine mountainous regions. Substantial findings include the detection of two wind shears and the phenomenon of glacier wind at a distance of 25 km from the glaciers. The latter lead to a reversed compensatory flow in a vertical scale of up to 2000 m above ground level, pointing at supra regional impact.

Analysis of three years of boundary layer observations over the Gulf of Mexico and its shores

Boundary layer observations were made over the Gulf of Mexico over a 3-year period in order to develop and test methods for estimating surface fluxes and boundary layer wind fields. In addition to routinely available buoy and CMAN surface data, six 915 MHz radar wind profilers (RWPs) and RASS profilers were mounted on oil platforms and on the shore. Estimates of surface momentum, sensible heat, and latent heat fluxes have been made from the surface observations using the COARE software. Simulations by the National Weather Service's Eta meteorological model are compared with the observations of surface fluxes and wind profiles. The boundary layer is found to be unstable over 90% of the time, and latent heat fluxes are about five to ten times larger than sensible heat fluxes, as usually found over tropical oceans. Eta model simulations of surface fluxes are within about ±50% of COARE estimates of the fluxes based on surface observations. Most of the time, COARE-derived fluxes at 11 sites are within a factor of two of each other at any given hour. In multi-day case studies, COARE calculations are found to agree with Eta model simulations of these fluxes and parameters within a factor of two most of the time. Eta model simulations of wind speeds in the boundary layer tend to exceed the RWP observations by 1–2 m s −1 near shore and by 2–6 m s −1 at distances of 100–200 km offshore.

Research Aircraft and Wind Profiler Observations in Gastineau Channel during a Taku Wind Event*

Abstract The flow in Gastineau Channel near Juneau, Alaska, during the moderate Taku wind event of 18 October 2004 is examined using observations from the University of Wyoming’s King Air research aircraft, two wind profilers, and surface weather stations. These data sources reveal low-level winds directed down the central portion of Gastineau Channel, that is, gap flow. Farther down the channel, and above this gap flow, the winds were strongly cross channel in association with the downslope flow that characterizes Taku events. The transition region between these two flows included strong vertical wind shear and severe turbulence; measurements from the King Air indicate turbulent kinetic energy locally exceeding 50 m2 s−2. A high-resolution simulation of this case using the Naval Research Laboratory’s Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System reproduced the observed character of the mean flow. This case illustrates the hazard to aviation posed by even a moderate Taku wind event and shows the value of a wind profiler for monitoring the vertical wind shear responsible for the hazard.

Wind-profiler observations of gravity waves produced by convection at mid-latitudes

Abstract. This work presents a case study which includes regions of large rapidly varying vertical velocities observed by a VHF wind-profiler at Aberystwyth (52.4° N, 4.1° W). Analysis indicates that this region is associated with gravity waves above the tropopause level and simultaneous regions of convective activity below the tropopause level. This case study also suggests that convective activity can be identified effectively by finding periods of large uncertainties on the derived velocities. These regions are hypothesized to be related to regions of small-scale inhomogeneity in the wind field. Examination suggests that the large vertical velocity fluctuations above these convective regions are short period gravity wave packets as expected from theory. In addition the vertical flux of the horizontal momentum associated with the gravity waves also displays the pattern of reversal observed in previous studies.

A Multiwinter Analysis of Channeled Flow through a Prominent Gap along the Northern California Coast during CALJET and PACJET

Abstract Experimental observations from coastal and island wind profilers, aircraft, and other sensors deployed during the California Land-falling Jets Experiment of 1997/98 and the Pacific Land-falling Jets Experiment of 2000/01–2003/04 were combined with observations from operational networks to document the regular occurrence and characteristic structure of shallow (∼400–500 m deep), cold airstreams flowing westward through California’s Petaluma Gap from the Central Valley to the coast during the winter months. The Petaluma Gap, which is the only major air shed outlet from the Central Valley, is ∼35–50 km wide and has walls extending, at most, a modest 600–900 m above the valley floor. Based on this geometry, together with winter meteorological conditions typical of the region (e.g., cold air pooled in the Central Valley and approaching extratropical cyclones), this gap is predisposed to generating westward-directed ageostrophic flows driven by along-gap pressure differences. Two case studies and a five-winter composite analysis of 62 gap-flow cases are presented here to show that flows through the Petaluma Gap significantly impact local distributions of wind, temperature, precipitation, and atmospheric pollutants. These gap flows preferentially occur in pre-cold-frontal conditions, largely because sea level pressure decreases westward along the gap in a stably stratified atmosphere in advance of approaching cold-frontal pressure troughs. Airstreams exiting the Petaluma Gap are only several hundred meters deep and characterized by relatively cold, easterly flow capped by a layer of enhanced static stability and directional vertical wind shear. Airborne air-chemistry observations collected offshore by the NOAA P-3 aircraft illustrate the fact that gap-flow events can transport pollutants from inland to the coast, and that they can contribute to coastally blocked airstreams. The strongest gap-flow cases occur when comparatively deep midtropospheric troughs approach the coast, while the weak cases are tied to anticyclonic conditions aloft. Low-level cold-frontal pressure troughs approaching the coast are stronger and possess a greater along-gap pressure gradient for the strong gap-flow cases. These synoptic characteristics are dynamically consistent with coastal wind profiler observations of stronger low-level gap flow and winds aloft, and greater rainfall, during the strong gap-flow events. However, gap flow, on average, inhibits rainfall at the coast.