Balanced atmospheric response to squall lines

Abstract

For a two-dimensional squall line, the potential pseudodensity equation is simple enough to be solved analytically. The solutions illustrate how the squall line leaves in its wake a region of low potential pseudodensity in the lower troposphere and a region of high potential pseudodensity in the upper troposphere. The solutions also show that the character of the potential pseudodensity modification by the squall line depends on the ratio of the convective overturning time to the squall line passage time. This allows us to dynamically distinguish intensely raining, wide, slowly moving squall lines from weakly raining, narrow, fast-moving squall lines. -from Authors