Cold fronts and Drylines

[Elinor McLennon]

It seems that the local setups we have had around this area involve a cold front. Is it correct to say that a cold front can be "too strong" and could that be why the storms around here this season don't seem to be "explosive" or cause a major outbreak?

When dealing with a dryline: I hear yall say "storms firing off the dryline" and i can understand that. along with the dryline, you usually have moist air and a fast jet stream. in this type of setup, is this where the beautiful, photogenic(NOT HP) storms come from?

ha ha. perhaps one day i can graduate to the advanced weather section thread.

 

[Chris Allington]

It seems that the local setups we have had around this area involve a cold front. Is it correct to say that a cold front can be "too strong" and could that be why the storms around here this season don't seem to be "explosive" or cause a major outbreak?

When dealing with a dryline: I hear yall say "storms firing off the dryline" and i can understand that. along with the dryline, you usually have moist air and a fast jet stream. in this type of setup, is this where the beautiful, photogenic(NOT HP) storms come from?

ha ha. perhaps one day i can graduate to the advanced weather section thread.

Your somewhat correct... in alot of cases this year, storms have been firing right on the front, which then moves under the storms and 'undercuts' them, effectively chopping off the base and ruining the inflow with the cold air behind the front.

The dryline typically fires more isolated storms, atleast if we have a decent cap as a product of mixing along the dryling, rather than the linear forcing you get with cold fronts.

Also, HP storms are more a product of a lack of mid/ upper level winds allowing the precip to fall out of the updraft, rather than the boundary they form on.

 

[Andrew Ryan]

Cold fronts and drylines are both areas of convergence, where air comes together and rises to form a thunderstorm. Cold fronts have more convergence than drylines. This causes, usually, a lot more thunderstorms to form in front of a cold front. This usually results in the storms going "linear," or forming a squall line.

Drylines have less convergence which makes them more favorable for discrete thunderstorm development. Drylines don't necessarily form "photogenic" supercells. That is dependent on the upper level support. If the winds at the top of the storm are weak (less than ~40kts), then you will get an HP. If they are greater than ~40kts but less than ~60kts, than the storm will be classic. But if the winds are greater than ~80kts, then the storm will be LP. Now these are general guidelines, so don't take them with a grain of salt.

Hope this helps!

 

[Elinor McLennon]

Thanks Chris and Andrew. Those answers helped a lot but yet kept it simple enough for me to understand. One of these days i may graduate to reading charts. I have learned so much from this site. My family says I'd be rich if I spent the same amount of time on my business as I do on here during the springtime

 

[Drew.Gardonia]

Thanks Chris and Andrew. Those answers helped a lot but yet kept it simple enough for me to understand. One of these days i may graduate to reading charts. I have learned so much from this site. My family says I'd be rich if I spent the same amount of time on my business as I do on here during the springtime

But that wouldn't be any fun now would it Elinor? Chasing is more fun!!! Plenty of time to get rich.