Dancing with the Weather

#1717 "Sunset Waves Nite"

The last couple of years of meteorological blogs can be summarized by creative, body movements – the Weather Dance. I failed at making this mainstream meteorology during my career but I do not give up easily. Perhaps this meteorological approach was too much fun?  I believe that your career should be your passion and that it must be creative and fun. A career can last a lifetime so you might as well enjoy it. You gotta laugh! By using only your Coriolis Hand and the attached arm, we can better understand the conceptual models that depict the Atmospheric Conveyor Belts, the Deformation Zone and even Thermal Advection. I call this approach "Dancing with the Weather". 

The weather is more of a ballet than a battle anyway... Weather is a balancing act that moves forms of energy all around the Globe in order to keep the earth in balance. Sometimes these motions are focussed, magnified and intensely damaging as a result. Supercellular thunderstorms, tornadoes and tropical storms come to mind. Everyone wants to see a tornado before they die... but not just before they die. I have used this line many times during my presentations and never get tired of casting out that hook.  Humans see this extreme weather as break dancing... literally. But all weather dances serve a purpose in moving energy around.

Conveyor Belt Conceptual Model (CBCM)

The Conveyor Belt Conceptual Model (CBCM) is a vital tool required to better understand the weather. Warm air rises as it is moved northward along the isentropic surfaces. Cold air sinks as it is advected toward the south. Water vapour and electrical charge are also added into the mix to make the weather.  This essential conceptual model also employs the deformation zone and thermal advection concepts. If you follow this train of thought to the end of this blog, you are on your way to really understanding the weather around you. 

For a start ... focus on your Coriolis Hand and the attached arm. This is your right hand if you are in the Northern Hemisphere and your left appendage if you are south of the equator (see  “The Solution to Cloud Swirls Can Be Found in Your Hands”). 

Coriolis Hand with
Thumb Pointing Up

If your Coriolis Thumb is pointing upward, your Coriolis arm is oriented like the cyclonic companion of the warm conveyor belt (WCB) of the CBCM. Your elbow will even bend cyclonically. What does this mean for the weather you can expect with the cyclonic companion? The answer is more weather with ascending, moist air. Embedded convection is also likely along the cold front. The following Radar Palette material was initially presented in "The Cold Conveyor Belt - The Weather Wizard Behind the Curtain". The Radar Palette did not get published but it is the equivalent to the Satellite Palette using conventional, Doppler and dual polarized radar to investigate the conceptual models of the atmosphere. 

Weather with the Rising Cyclonic Companion of the WCB

Coriolis Hand with

Thumb Pointing  Down

If your Coriolis Thumb is pointing down, your Coriolis arm is oriented like the anticyclonic companion of the WCB of the CBCM. Your arm will feel twisted and uncomfortable while in this orientation. Your elbow will not bend comfortably in the anticyclonic direction. The weather with the anticyclonic companion is drier with descending air. 

Weather with the Anticyclonic Companion of the WCB

The Warm Conveyor Belt (WCB) of the Conveyor Belt Conceptual Model (CBCM) is composed on both the cyclonic and anticyclonic companions. Each have their own characteristics as described which define the associated weather. 

The Dry (DCB) and Cold (CCB) conveyor belts are also composed of cyclonic and anticyclonic companions so there are at least six Coriolis arms in the ballet of each and every weather system. These flows would also be shifting with the differential thermal advections as described in "Shifting Winds? Why?". Even the most complex weather situation can be displayed and understood using your Coriolis Arm.  

Imagine the weather dancing going on especially on night shifts, trying to explain the weather patterns witnessed on the satellite imagery. The remote sensing information like satellite and radar revealed the real atmosphere and the actual weather. Trying to explain the Weather Dance was fun, funny and illuminating all at the same time. The following two collages of images are all you really need to remember so that you might better understand the atmosphere and the weather that you witness. 

Cyclonic Coriolis Arm (red for cyclonic)

Anticyclonic Coriolis Arm  (blue for anticyclonic) 

By employing the Conveyor Belt Conceptual Model and your Coriolis Hand,  you can examine and understand the three dimensional nature of the clouds and how they fit together in time and space. It helps if you know which way is north (for the slope of the isentropic surfaces that the conveyor belts follow) but really, you just need to know up from down...

Keep you paddle in the water and warmest regards... stay safe, 

Phil the Forecaster Chadwick

PS... More to come.