simonjk
Well-Known Member
Good afternoon,
Some great pictures of convection developing off Cape Finnisterre this afternoon.
The convection is associated with the cold front on the leading edge of low pressure now developing northwest of Spain. It's quite a vigorous little feature which, once formed, is going to track north,merge with an Atlantic low, bringing more unsettled conditions for the British Isles and Ireland later this week.
To the see the pictures go to http://meteosat.e-technik.uni-ulm.de/cgi...x=92&C.y=21
The chart which is of interest today, as the low forms, is the 850 hPA wet-bulb potential temperature. No need to get too hung up on what this is, but the chart below neatly shows warm air "trapped" in the system, and being "sucked" north-westwards through France, southern England and the Channel.
It's interesting to view a sequence of these charts. Go to Wetterzentrale and then select Pot. Aquiv. Temp. See how the "warmer" colours transfer north over the next couple of days. A front lies through the axis of the contours (in fact, meteorologists use the 850 hPa WBPT as an aide to identifying fronts), and you can clearly see how this tracks northwards.
Cheers,
Simon
Simon Keeling
Some great pictures of convection developing off Cape Finnisterre this afternoon.
The convection is associated with the cold front on the leading edge of low pressure now developing northwest of Spain. It's quite a vigorous little feature which, once formed, is going to track north,merge with an Atlantic low, bringing more unsettled conditions for the British Isles and Ireland later this week.
To the see the pictures go to http://meteosat.e-technik.uni-ulm.de/cgi...x=92&C.y=21
The chart which is of interest today, as the low forms, is the 850 hPA wet-bulb potential temperature. No need to get too hung up on what this is, but the chart below neatly shows warm air "trapped" in the system, and being "sucked" north-westwards through France, southern England and the Channel.
It's interesting to view a sequence of these charts. Go to Wetterzentrale and then select Pot. Aquiv. Temp. See how the "warmer" colours transfer north over the next couple of days. A front lies through the axis of the contours (in fact, meteorologists use the 850 hPa WBPT as an aide to identifying fronts), and you can clearly see how this tracks northwards.
Cheers,
Simon
Simon Keeling
