Investigation of mesoscale pre-convective forcing mechanisms

The installation and testing of a numerical mesoscale boundary layer model is discussed. A data analysis is first made using the rawinsonde network which shows a strong baroclinic zone developing in the region where convection was initiated. The observed wind field shows an easterly component developing in opposition to the synoptic flow producing convergence. The numerical boundary layer model is used to diagnose the physical development of the thermal and flow fields. Two physical mechanisms are examined; topography and cloud shading. The results shows that while heated sloping topography alone does create a baroclinic zone and convergence values, cloud shading is a stronger mechanism for producing a thermal field representative of observed conditions