Severe weather tore through the central United States this week, bringing tornadoes, thunderstorms and a historic blizzard that disrupted people’s lives.
Several key phenomena can be seen in the satellite data. Each represents different processes at play; here, we break down what’s going on:Upper-air temperatures were coolest farther north near the track of the low pressure center. That allowed for more instability or “juice” to give storms the “oomph” necessary to become nasty. The cap breaks to the north first and then gives way farther south, allowing storms to quickly tower as the front “unzips” southward.
Beyond the dryline, the boundary layer — or the altitude to which surface parcels of air rise and interact in a layer that experiences the frictional effects of earth’s surface — extends higher; ahead of the dryline in the moist air mass, the boundary layer is comparatively shallow. That difference helps induce surface convergence which forces pockets of air upward into storms.Look at the little bubbles visible in the middle of the plume-like storm clouds. Those are “overshooting tops.
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