DCVZ

[Matt Gingery]

LAST SEASON I HAD THE LUXURY OF CHASING THE DCVZ WITH THE MSU STORM CHASE TEAM. THIS IS IS AN EVENT THAT HAS REALLY SPARKED MY INTEREST. APPARENTLY DCVZ IS DIFFERENT FROM THE DENVER CYCLONE EVENT. HAVING A SET UP WITH A SFC RIDGE TO THE EAST IN KANSAS AND THE CENTRAL PLAINS BACKS THE MOIST SE SFC WINDS INTO THE HIGH PLAINS, PALMER DIVIDE, CHEYENNE RIDGE, AND AS FAR SOUTH AS THE RATON RIDGE INTERACTS WITH THE DOWN SLOPE WINDS CREATING AN AREA OF CONVERGENCE (BOUNDARY). THIS EVENT HAPPENS MOST OFTEN ALONG THE PALMER DIVIDE, BUT I HAVE NOTICED THAT IT CAN SET UP NORTH TO SOUTH ALONG ALL OF EASTERN COLORADO. FINDING THIS BOUNDARY DURING THE DAY CAN LEAD TO SOME GREAT INTERCEPTS WHEN THE CONDITIONS ARE RIGHT. I AM SO INTERESTED IN THIS BECAUSE A SUPERCELL ISN'T NECESSARILY NEEDED TO PRODUCE A NICE TORNADO/LANDSPOUT WITH THE VORTEX STRETCHING THEORY (DINES COMPENSATION). DUE TO THE LONG DRIVE I RARELY GET A CHANCE TO CHASE THIS EVENT, BUT OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS I WOULD LIKE TO GET MORE INVOLVED. I CHASED THE SET UP LAST SEASON THE DAY BEFORE THE GOSHEN, CO WYOMING INTERCEPT. CHASING THIS EVENT PUT US IN POSITION TO INTERCEPT THE GOSHEN STORM. WE MANAGED TO INTERCEPT A NICE CELL THAT LATCHED ON TO THE BOUNDARY NEAR LIMON AND PRODUCED AN ANTICYCLONIC WALL CLOUD, NOT THAT THIS PHENOM IS A RESULT OF THE DCVZ, BUT IT WAS VERY NEAT TO BE ABLE TO OBSERVE THIS WALL CLOUD. IF ANYONE HAS VAST EXPERIENCE CHASING THIS EVENT, PLEASE CHIME IN AND GIVE YOUR EDUCATIONAL THOUGHTS AND THEORIES TO HELP DEVELOP A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THIS PHENOM. I TRULY ENJOY CHASING THE HIGH ELEVATION OF COLORADO AND WYOMING AND KNOW THAT MANY HAVE A GREAT UNDERSTANDING OF THIS AND COULD SHARE EXPERIENCES AND THEORIES.

-MANY OF YOU THAT CHASED LAST SEASONS GOSHEN INTERCEPT MAY REMEMBER THIS GRAPHIC. . .

GRAPHIC FROM NWS FROM LAST SEASONS EVENT THAT WE CHASED

ANTICYCLONIC WALL CLOUD NEAR LIMON

http://i47.tinypic.com/16865jl.jpg

10X TIME LAPSE OF LIMON, CO WALL CLOUD MSU STORM CHASE

http://msustormchase.ning.com/video/10x-anticyclonic-clockwise

 

[Verne Carlson]

Hi Matt, It's actually the DCVZ Denver Convergence - Vorticity Zone and has given us Denver chasers alot of great tornado days. It doesn't take more than mid 50 dewpoints moving from the southeast to the northwest up the elevation gain on the palmer divide to fire up a boundary from Elbert County into Washington County. This boundary is the DCVZ. The Denver Cyclone is the counterclockwise circulation over the Denver basin and can spin up storms near DIA up to Greeley. They are similar but slightly different in how they form.

We were out chasing June 4th as well and chased the cell you posted about. It blew up over Elizabeth, CO right along the DCVZ and tracked east to Limon. It looked many times like it would produce but never did.

We get many of these setups each year in June and this year had at least a half dozen or more great DCVZ days including the 4 tornadoes over Elizabeth and Elbert on June 15th

Here's a paper describing the DCVZ very well.

May 10, 2004 Tornado forming on the DCVZ

Wiki is here

 

[Pat Darrow]

This is one of the first papers I read about this phenomenon:

http://www.theweatherprediction.com/weatherpapers/013/index.html

 

[Matt Gingery]

Thanks for correcting me on the proper abbreviation Verne. I guess I got a little dislexic. And yes, We do remember seeing you set up on that same cell. You were set up south of Denver at the beginning of that cell at the rear flank. I remember Ted and I discussing what a great position you were in on the spotter network during that cell. At that point we tried to get to that position and noticed the anticyclonic action at the back of the cell that was very rare for us. I definately like to get the point of view from those of you experienced with it. I know you live in the area. Great pic by the way. . .

 

[Matt Gingery]

This is one of the first papers I read about this phenomenon:

http://www.theweatherprediction.com/weatherpapers/013/index.html

THANKS FOR THE LINK PAT. I AM VERY INTRIGUED ABOUT THIS EVENT. THE GREAT THING ABOUT THIS EVENT. . .I THINK, IS THE FACT THAT YOU CAN HAVE SOME GREAT CHASES IN JUNE AND JULY OUT IN COLORADO AS THE OMEGA RIDGE SETS IN OVER THE MIDWEST FOR THE SUMMER. IT IS DEFINATELY WORTH KEEPING TRACK OF AFTER THE GREAT PLAINS SEASON TO TRY AND GET A FEW CHASES IN OUT IN COLORADO.

ON ANOTHER NOTE, I DON'T KNOW IF THE UPSLOPE ACTION THAT TAKES PLACE ALONG THE CHEYENNE RIDGE IS RELATED TO THE SAME PHENOM, BUT LAST YEAR I THINK THERE WAS LIKE 4 TORNADOES TOTAL REPORTED IN GOSHEN COUNTY, WY WITHIN A FEW WEEKS OF THE V2 INTERCEPT, INCLUDING THAT INTERCEPT. IN FACT I THINK THE NEXT DAY THERE WAS A REPORT.

GETTING INTO THE MEAT AND POTATOES OF MY UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM, I REALLY WANT AN EMPHASIS PUT ON THIS EVENT. I APPRECIATE ALL THE LINKS. YOU CAN TELL THAT I AM NEW TO THIS HAVING MISSPELLED IT.

 

[Greg McLaughlin]

I chased the DCVZ for the first time this past June (after the Goshen, WY day), and intercepted a couple of supercells in successive days. Both chases were east of Denver, one north of Limon and the other one between Limon and Colorado Springs. The chase terrain is absolutely stunning. I am looking forward to another chase up there. The title screen of the trailer for our storm chasing highlight video on Facebook was filmed in Colorado on that trip.

 

[Chris C Sanner]

Hi Matt, It's actually the DCVZ Denver Convergence - Vorticity Zone and has given us Denver chasers alot of great tornado days. It doesn't take more than mid 50 dewpoints moving from the southeast to the northwest up the elevation gain on the palmer divide to fire up a boundary from Elbert County into Washington County. This boundary is the DCVZ. The Denver Cyclone is the counterclockwise circulation over the Denver basin and can spin up storms near DIA up to Greeley. They are similar but slightly different in how they form.

We were out chasing June 4th as well and chased the cell you posted about. It blew up over Elizabeth, CO right along the DCVZ and tracked east to Limon. It looked many times like it would produce but never did.

We get many of these setups each year in June and this year had at least a half dozen or more great DCVZ days including the 4 tornadoes over Elizabeth and Elbert on June 15th

Here's a paper describing the DCVZ very well.

May 10, 2004 Tornado forming on the DCVZ

Wiki is here

Good info there Verne, definitely have been planning on hitting up the front range at least once this upcoming season after seeing that area produce time and time again this last spring. From climatology, it looks like June is the best time to think about a trip to CO which is probably good timing my Mother Nature all around.

And Matt, all caps kinda stink bro keep a lid on that stuff

 

[Richard Dickson]

I'm finding this phenomema to be particularly interesting and have been reading everything I can get on the internet about the setup and causes.

I'd add a couple more very good articles to those already mentioned:

Denver Convergence Zone (DCVZ) by Albert Pietrycha and Ed Szoke
http://www.k5kj.net/dcvz.htm

The Denver Convergence-Vorticity Zone From a Strom Chaser's Perspective by Steve Hamilton
http://www.theweatherprediction.com/weatherpapers/104/

If anyone else has more to offer, I'd be happy to read it.