A theoretical study of cold air damming

Abstract

The dynamics of cold air damming are examined analytically with a two-layer steady state model. The upper layer is a warm and saturated cross-mountain (easterly or southeasterly onshore) flow. The lower layer is a cold mountain-parallel (northerly) jet trapped on the windward (eastern) side of the mountain. The interface between the two layers represents a coastal front - a sloping inversion layer coupling the trapped cold dome with the warm onshore flow above through pressure continuity. -from Author