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Cold Air Damming I

Cold Air Damming I (two sessions)
Tuesday, February 19th, 2008 and ran from ~5:15-5:45pm
and Thursday, February 21st, 2008 from ~3:30-3:50pm
Discussion led by Quincy Vagell, a 3rd year Meteorology student
Location: SB 269

This discussion had been inspired by the recent weather system that led to snow and icy conditions in the Danbury area. Cold Air Damming occurred in this event and some models had trouble with resolving details of the forecast. This lead to more snow and ice falling in certain areas than was forecasted.

Cold Air Damming involves cold air being "dammed" into specific locations, often between a low and high pressure system. Wind flow and local geography often play a key role in how this cold air is locked in a the lower levels of the atmosphere.

This discussion first looked at the structure and evolution of typical Cold Air Damming situations. Then, some recent weather events in which Cold Air Damming occurred, were analyzed. Finally, a brief discussion on how models often have difficulty in forecasting Cold Air Damming took place.

The PowerPoint is available for online access or download through the link below:
Cold Air Damming I (43 slide PowerPoint)