Unregistered User
(Unregistered)
Sat Jul 02 2005 09:27 AM
Outflow boundaries

I've noticed in past satellite images that nearly everytime an outflow boundary interacts with land associated with a tropical system it shoots off thunderstorms. The question is why? Logic would dicate divergence at the ground- not convergence....

Ed DunhamAdministrator
(Former Meteorologist & CFHC Forum Moderator (Ed Passed Away on May 14, 2017))
Sat Jul 02 2005 09:43 AM
Re: Outflow boundaries

An outflow boundary almost always extends down to the surface (aka gust front). When the boundary interacts with land (even land that is not elevated to any significant degree) the air is forced aloft and convection occurs. Florida is well known for its summer thunderstorms activity - initially caused by landmass heating, but when two outflow boundaries from separate storms collide, the air is again forced upward, sometimes violently, and new thunderstorms develop. During summer when steering currents are often very light, the seabreeze from the Atlantic east coast moves inland to the west during the late afternoon while the seabreeze from the Gulf west coast moves inland to the east. They collide in central Florida and thunderstorms pop up along the spine of the peninsula.
Cheers,
ED


Keith234
(Storm Chaser)
Sat Jul 02 2005 07:38 PM
Re: Outflow boundaries

Thanks...seems like what you're saying is coming to fruition on the Cayman islands.


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