Initiation of convective storms at radar-observed boundary-layer convergence lines.

Abstract

The origin of 653 convective storms occurring over a 5000 km2 area immediately east of the Colorado Rocky Mountains from 18 May to 15 August 1984 was examined. This study, which utilized radar data, supports the findings of Purdom (1982), who utilized satellite data, which indicated that mesoscale boundary-layer convergence lines play a major role in determining where and when storms will form. These results suggest that what often appears as random thunderstorm formation (air mass thunderstorms) is usually deterministic.-from Authors