San Francisco State University NAME _______________________

Department of Geosciences Fall 1997

Reading 1: The Distinction between Large-scale and Mesoscale Contribution to Severe Convection: A Case Study Example

1. Doswell discusses the setting for the Topeka, KS tornado event of May 6, 1983. Despite the fact that the synoptic setting was quite favorable for severe thunderstorm development, Doswell states: "...while the lapse rate field reveals low values of dry static stability in eastern Kansas and southwestern Missouri, there are two major obstacles to convective development in the Topeka area:..." What are these two obstacles?

2. On pages 5 and 6 Doswell relates the "...intensification of the cold front..." in Kansas from 1500 UTC to 2100 UTC to rising altimeter settings behind it. How does this follow?

4. What role does consideration of wind shear have in the problem of forecasting convection?

5. What is Doswell's conception of "large-scale processes"?

6. What is Doswell's definition of a "mesoscale process"?

7. What was the most important contributor to the intensification of the front, according to Doswell?

8. In a number of locations, Doswell refers to the LFM's conception or location of the surface front. Which panel, and what feature in that panel, actually shows the surface front and why?