The Heavy Rainfall
of August 13-15, 2005

Exercise Question 4
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4. Still 8:30 pm. Examine some upper-air maps (925mb, 850 mb, 500 mb) from 0000 UTC (7pm).

  • The 925 mb level is very near the surface. From what direction are the winds at 925 mb? What appears to be their ultimate source region?
  • The 850 mb level about 5,000 ft above sea level. From what direction are the winds at 850 mb? What appears to be their ultimate source region?
  • Would you characterize the moisture available to Oklahoma and North Texas as "abundant"?
  • From what direction are the 500 mb winds across Oklahoma?
  • Are the 500 mb winds strong or weak? (At 500 mb, 50 knots is considered "weak")
  • Compare the 500 mb winds with the orientation of the surface front. If the forecasted convection indeed occurs, what direction will it go? How quickly will it propagate?
  • Why are these ingredients important on this day?


925mb:


850mb:


500mb:

Answer

 
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