A new thermodynamic index for thunderstorm detection based on cloud base height and equivalent potential temperature. (1st October 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Samanta, Shrayasi; Tyagi, Bhishma; Vissa, Naresh Krishna; Sahu, Rajesh Kumar
• Is Part Of: Journal of atmospheric and solar-terrestrial physics. Volume 207(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-10-01
• Subjects: Cloud base height -- Thermodynamic indices -- Thunderstorms -- Equivalent potential temperature; Geophysics -- Periodicals; Atmospheric physics -- Periodicals; Géophysique -- Périodiques; Météorologie physique -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 551.51
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jastp.2020.105367
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1364-6826

Abstract

Abstract: Cloud base height (CBH), and equivalent potential temperature ( θe ) at 850 hPa are able to distinguish convective events day. The present work is analysing CBH and θe as ingredients for the formulation of a new thermodynamic index over a tropical station Kolkata during pre-monsoon season of 2016–2019. We have performed skill score analysis to evaluate the performance of new index. The result shows that the ratio CBH/ θe work better than CBH or θe alone in differentiating thunderstorms. The index has been validated by taking thunderstorm cases over Kolkata from published literature, outside the index formulating period. Highlights: The study proposes a new thermodynamic Index based on Cloud base height and θe for thunderstorms. The analysis is based on pre-monsoon (March–May) thunderstorms over Kolkata for 2016–2019. The newly proposed index is working better than existing indices. The index has been validated for different thunderstorms cases outside the study period.