CONVECTIVE CLOUD FEATURES IN TYPICAL SYNOPTIC ENVIRONMENTS: ENHANCEMENT OF CONVECTIVON BY PV - CLOUD STRUCTURE IN SATELLITE IMAGES

by KNMI

Potential Vorticity (PV) often plays an important role in the enhancement of convection either within or outside frontal zones.
In WV imagery, convection is sometimes considerably enhanced just ahead of narrow elongated black stripes, and appears as developing white spots or marks.

Schematic of a black area in the WV image and the triggering of convectivity at the front side

01 November 2001/03.00 UTC - Meteosat WV image	01 November 2001/04.00 UTC - Meteosat WV image


01 November 2001/05.00 UTC - Meteosat WV image	01 November 2001/06.00 UTC - Meteosat WV image

The WV images show a narrow elongated dark stripe stretching from Poland southwestwards towards France and Spain. Rapid convection occurs just ahead of this dark stripe near 42N/02E, east of N. Spain, to the rear of the frontal zone.

SUB-MENU OF CONVECTIVE CLOUD FEATURES IN TYPICAL SYNOPTIC ENVIRONMENTS: ENHANCEMENT OF CONVECTIVON BY PV

METEOROLOGICAL PHYSICAL BACKGROUND