Snow-fall event climatology: The finale
Title | Snow-fall event climatology: The finale |
Publication Type | Conference Proceedings |
Year of Conference | 1992 |
Authors | Mahoney, J. L., and Brown J. M. |
Conference Name | 60th Annual Western Snow Conference |
Series Title | Proceedings of the 60th Annual Western Snow Conference |
Date Published | April 1992 |
Publisher | Western Snow Conference |
Conference Location | Jackson Hole, Wyoming |
Keywords | Climatology, Colorado winter storms, Snowfall event, Synoptic scale patterns |
Abstract | Two distinct types of snowfall events that produce heavy snow along the Front Range of Colorado are discussed in Part 2 of the snowfall-event climatology. A 40-year snowfall-event archive was used as the basis for the study. The additional analyses of synoptic surface and upper air maps, soundings and quasi-geostrophic diagnostics led to the identification of two distinct synoptic patterns, which we shall refer to as a Four Corners Low and a Southeast Colorado Low.The Four Corners Lows were characterized by surface high pressure of arctic regions to the north of Colorado with a cyclone to the southwest of the state, shallow upslope below 700 mb capped by an inversion layer with southwesterly winds above, and lack of synoptic-scale forcing of vertical motion. The Southeast Colorado Lows featured an intense surface cyclone over the southern High Plains associated with a strong upper trough or closed low, deep upslope flow over northeast Colorado, a jet from the northeast quadrant 750 and 500 mb, and strong vertical coherence in the synoptic-scale forcing of vertical motion. We will present examples of each synoptic. |
URL | sites/westernsnowconference.org/PDFs/1992Mahoney.pdf |