Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

Potential Vorticity Analysis of Tropical Cyclone Intensification

John Molinari Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, New York

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Steven Skubis Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, New York

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David Vollaro Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, New York

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Frank Alsheimer Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, New York

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Hugh E. Willoughby Hurricane Research Division, AOML/NOAA, Miami, Florida

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Print Publication:
01 Aug 1998
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1998)055<2632:PVAOTC>2.0.CO;2
Page(s):
2632–2644
Restricted access

Abstract

The interaction of marginal Tropical Storm Danny (1985) with an upper-tropospheric positive potential vorticity anomaly was examined. The intensification mechanism proposed earlier for mature Hurricane Elena appears to be valid for Danny as well, despite significant differences in the synoptic-scale environment and in the stage of the tropical cyclone prior to the interaction. Both storms experienced rapid pressure falls as a relatively small-scale positive upper potential vorticity anomaly began to superpose with the low-level tropical cyclone center.

The interaction is described in terms of a complex interplay between vertical wind shear, diabatic heating, and mutual advection among vortices at and below the level of the outflow anticyclone. Despite this complexity, the superposition principle appears to be conceptually useful to describe the intensification of tropical cyclones during such interactions.

Corresponding author address: John Molinari, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Science, The University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY 12222.

Abstract

The interaction of marginal Tropical Storm Danny (1985) with an upper-tropospheric positive potential vorticity anomaly was examined. The intensification mechanism proposed earlier for mature Hurricane Elena appears to be valid for Danny as well, despite significant differences in the synoptic-scale environment and in the stage of the tropical cyclone prior to the interaction. Both storms experienced rapid pressure falls as a relatively small-scale positive upper potential vorticity anomaly began to superpose with the low-level tropical cyclone center.

The interaction is described in terms of a complex interplay between vertical wind shear, diabatic heating, and mutual advection among vortices at and below the level of the outflow anticyclone. Despite this complexity, the superposition principle appears to be conceptually useful to describe the intensification of tropical cyclones during such interactions.

Corresponding author address: John Molinari, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Science, The University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY 12222.

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