AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE OF THE LARGE-SCALE CLOUD STRUCTURE OF WINTERTIME CYCLONES CASE I-DECEMBER 11, 1960
Abstract
Results of the first of five detailed case studies of the large-scale cloud structure of wintertime cyclones in the eastern half of the United States are presented. The investigations emphasize the use of special collections of pilot reports, and an unusual three-dimensional representation of the cloud layers is developed for illustrating the results. The principal features of the cloud structure, some of which depart from the familiar Bergeron models, are as follows: (1) widespread areas of low cloudiness extending from far south in the warm sector across the warm front and thence westward far into the cold air; (2) an extensive cirrostratus shield over most of the storm area and largely detached from lower cloud masses; (3) complex layering of the main cloud mass, even in parts of the main precipitation area; a marked tongue of cloud-free air in the lower troposphere that extends from the south-west through the storm center. These characteristics of the cloud structure are generally well supported by the dew-point depression, vertical motion and precipitation patterns. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1962
- Accession Number
- AD0286805
Entities
People
- E. Paul Mcclain
- Yukio Omoto