Two summertime days were investigated, 27 and 28 June 1973,
to observe the changes in the environment that led to the severe hailstorm
on 28 June in the National Hail Research Experiment (NHRE)
network, Colorado. Within the network thermodynamic analyses
revealed the 28th to have:
(1) Above-average low-level moisture.
(2) Approximately equal heating as on the 27th.
(3) A lower stability index in the morning than on the previous
morning.
(4) A potentially unstable layer at the top of the mixed layer.
The small scale and weakness of an eastward-migrating short
wave trough suggested application of a perturbation wind analysis,
which showed a vortex moving across the country. Divergence computations
at upper levels displayed a divergent region downstream of the
vortex and convergent region upstream. The ascent associated with
this upper-level divergence led to release of the potential instability
found on the 28th, resulting in severe convective storms within the
NHRE network.
Satellite photographs suggest that the short wave trough originated
off the Baja California coast, and show the perturbation vortex associated
clouds to move across the U.S. in good agreement with
estimated locations of the divergence maximum. / Graduation date: 1978
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/29303 |
| Date | 23 August 1977 |
| Creators | Duker, Dick C. |
| Contributors | Barber, David A. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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