Significant Impact of Heat Supply From the Gulf Stream on a “Superbomb” Cyclone in January 2018

Abstract

On 4 January 2018, an extremely rapidly developing extratropical cyclone (“superbomb” cyclone) appeared over the Gulf Stream. To clarify the key process of the intensification of the superbomb cyclone, we specifically examined the role of heat supply from the Gulf Stream by performing cloud-resolving numerical experiments. When the cyclone rapidly developed, sensible and latent heat fluxes from the warm current predominated around the cold conveyor belt (CCB) of the cyclone. These fluxes created a convectively unstable layer near the surface. When the instability was released around the cyclone center, latent heating (LH) occurred. The increased LH further intensified the cyclone and its associated CCB. These findings indicate that the positive feedback process between the CCB and LH played a key role in intensification over the Gulf Stream. In this way, the heat supply from the Gulf Stream significantly impacted the development of the superbomb cyclone.