Anomalous mid-atmospheric heights and persistent thunderstorm patterns over florida
✍ Scribed by Michaels, P. J.
- Book ID
- 102912494
- Publisher
- Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
- Year
- 1985
- Weight
- 909 KB
- Volume
- 5
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 2314-6214
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✦ Synopsis
A principal component analysis (PCA) of Florida thunderstorm patterns revealed three statistically significant spatial modes of variation from summer-to-summer. The most important was in the region of sea breeze convergence, which has been previously hypothesized t o be the main initiator of summer thunderstorms over peninsular Florida.
A companion analysis of 500 mb height data over the south-eastern U.S. uncovered only one significant pattern of variation from the mean, when tested against uncorrelated data. We hypothesized, prior to testing, that dynamic considerations would make it negatively correlated with the most important thunderstorm pattern. A subsequent regression analysis allows that hypothesis to continue to be entertained. A canonical analysis verifies this finding.
The results suggest that the sea-breeze-related thunderstorm patterns are influenced over seasonal and longer time scales by the first 500 mb component. There has been a significant secular change both in the most important thunderstorm pattern and its related 500 mb pattern over the period of this study.