Mountains and Thunderstorms
Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 9:11 pm
There's a ridge near us that is approx 1200 feet above the valley floor. The ridge extends for miles to the south and then abruptly ends right at our town. It's the most prominent feature for miles.
My question: Watching the radar loop, it appears that tonights line of thunderstorms broke apart right at the ridge and kind of funneled around the end of it. Would a 1200 foot feature be enough to disturb a line of thunderstorms? These storms of course extend to elevations in the 30,000's, so wouldn't this mountain just be a ripple to it?
On the windward side, the air traveling upward would be consistent with the convection currents, but on the leeward side, I suppose that the descending air, could interfere with the convection. So while not physically "stopping" the storm, it may just cause the storm to dissipate at the ridge?
Waddayathink?
My question: Watching the radar loop, it appears that tonights line of thunderstorms broke apart right at the ridge and kind of funneled around the end of it. Would a 1200 foot feature be enough to disturb a line of thunderstorms? These storms of course extend to elevations in the 30,000's, so wouldn't this mountain just be a ripple to it?
On the windward side, the air traveling upward would be consistent with the convection currents, but on the leeward side, I suppose that the descending air, could interfere with the convection. So while not physically "stopping" the storm, it may just cause the storm to dissipate at the ridge?
Waddayathink?