A numerical modelling of the 4--5 July 1999 derecho was performed. The storm caused over 40 million dollars of damages, several deaths and injuries across the United States and Canada. The unseasonal synoptic settings resulted in the formation of low-level moisture pooling and the buildup of convective available potential energy. The upper-level jet streak eventually furnished the trigger for the outbreak of precursor deep convection leading to the development of this derecho. / The results illustrated the feasibility of simulating the derecho using a mesoscale model with the NCEP (National Centers for Environmental Prediction) reanalysis. Convection was not initiated properly using as initial conditions the CMC (Canadian Meteorological Centre) analysis which displays less low-level moisture and potential instability, as well as downward motion over the area of convective outbreak. Similarities between the modelled profile and the environment conducive to wet microburst are discussed. Sensitivity experiments were performed to explore the effects of shallow convection, deep convective parameterization, and a different surface scheme on the simulation of the derecho.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.78392 |
| Date | January 2002 |
| Creators | Jou, Shih-Li, 1978- |
| Contributors | Yau, M. K. (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Science (Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001986194, proquestno: AAIMQ88227, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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