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#1
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Thundersnow - Destructive turbulence?
Right now there is a pretty intense lake-enhanced band of snow going on to
the north of my home airport. Twenty four to thirty six inches (0.6 to 1 meter) of snow is expected in that narrow region over the next day. The forecasters included lightning and thunder in their discussion of this band of snow. I understand why there is the forecast of thunder and lightning activity, what they call "thundersnow," during this snow event but I am curious about the turbulence. Could an intense lake effect band of snow produce destructive turbulence equal to that found inside a strong thunderstorm? My guess would be no, but I am certainly no expert. Anyone? -- Peter ----== Posted via Newsfeed.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeed.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000 Newsgroups ---= 19 East/West-Coast Specialized Servers - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- |
#2
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"Peter R." wrote in message
... [...] Could an intense lake effect band of snow produce destructive turbulence equal to that found inside a strong thunderstorm? My guess would be no, but I am certainly no expert. Anyone? Seems to me, if it can create lightning (and thus thunder), it can create serious turbulence as well. Where did you think the lightning came from? Pete |
#3
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"Peter R." wrote in message ... Right now there is a pretty intense lake-enhanced band of snow going on to the north of my home airport. Twenty four to thirty six inches (0.6 to 1 meter) of snow is expected in that narrow region over the next day. The forecasters included lightning and thunder in their discussion of this band of snow. I understand why there is the forecast of thunder and lightning activity, what they call "thundersnow," during this snow event but I am curious about the turbulence. Could an intense lake effect band of snow produce destructive turbulence equal to that found inside a strong thunderstorm? My guess would be no, but I am certainly no expert. Anyone? -- Peter It is the same process as any thunderstorm. The potential for turbulence is lessend (somewhat) because the colder air can hold less moisture (which equals energy). We are still talking about convective storms so there will be plenty of vertical shear which equates to turbulence. Mike MU-2 |
#4
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Peter,
A thunderstorm is a thunderstorm, regardless of surface air temperature, if it possesses the necessary energy and lifting to make a thunderstorm, then it is a thunderstorm no matter whether the precip it spews forth hits the ground as rain or snow. Don't forget that summer thunderstorms are putting out snow above the freezing level. Any thunderstorm, regardless of surface temperature can, and will, destroy an airplane. The old rule of thumb is that the taller the cell and the faster moving the line, the more intense the thunderstorm. If there is enough energy to create a thunderstorm in cold weather, than the chances are it's going to be a nasty sucker. But it's okay, the baby thunderstorms are only just big enough to pull an airplane apart. All the best, Rick Peter R. wrote in message ... Right now there is a pretty intense lake-enhanced band of snow going on to the north of my home airport. Twenty four to thirty six inches (0.6 to 1 meter) of snow is expected in that narrow region over the next day. The forecasters included lightning and thunder in their discussion of this band of snow. I understand why there is the forecast of thunder and lightning activity, what they call "thundersnow," during this snow event but I am curious about the turbulence. Could an intense lake effect band of snow produce destructive turbulence equal to that found inside a strong thunderstorm? My guess would be no, but I am certainly no expert. Anyone? -- Peter ----== Posted via Newsfeed.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeed.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000 Newsgroups ---= 19 East/West-Coast Specialized Servers - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- |
#5
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Rick Durden ) wrote:
A thunderstorm is a thunderstorm, regardless of surface air temperature, if it possesses the necessary energy and lifting to make a thunderstorm, then it is a thunderstorm no matter whether the precip it spews forth hits the ground as rain or snow. snip Thanks, Rick, Mike, and Peter. Apparently I was lulled into believing that this type of convective activity was not the same as a monster t-storm that occurs during the summer due to the cold temperatures, lower tops, and slower moving cells. I took a look at the NOAA's convective outlook page and interestingly they had no organized convective activity across the US yesterday. However, the text from the forecaster did briefly mention convective possibilities in lake effect activity. -- Peter ----== Posted via Newsfeed.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeed.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000 Newsgroups ---= 19 East/West-Coast Specialized Servers - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- |
#6
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"Peter R." wrote in message ... Rick Durden ) wrote: A thunderstorm is a thunderstorm, regardless of surface air temperature, if it possesses the necessary energy and lifting to make a thunderstorm, then it is a thunderstorm no matter whether the precip it spews forth hits the ground as rain or snow. snip Thanks, Rick, Mike, and Peter. Apparently I was lulled into believing that this type of convective activity was not the same as a monster t-storm that occurs during the summer due to the cold temperatures, lower tops, and slower moving cells. You were right. The cold temperatures matter because the dewpoints are lower thus less fuel for convection. The real issue, addressed by Rick, is how tame of a thunderstorm are you willing to fly into? Mike MU-2 I took a look at the NOAA's convective outlook page and interestingly they had no organized convective activity across the US yesterday. However, the text from the forecaster did briefly mention convective possibilities in lake effect activity. -- Peter ----== Posted via Newsfeed.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeed.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000 Newsgroups ---= 19 East/West-Coast Specialized Servers - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- |
#7
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Mike Rapoport ) wrote:
The real issue, addressed by Rick, is how tame of a thunderstorm are you willing to fly into? In my lifetime? Hopefully no TS, no matter how tame. -- Peter ----== Posted via Newsfeed.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeed.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000 Newsgroups ---= 19 East/West-Coast Specialized Servers - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- |
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