oh boy

[sinjun]

Busy Friday, and my head is killing me. But that's okay, since we apparently have a closed low planning to stall overhead of us and drop up to 60mm of rain on our heads this weekend. That's all the rain we usually get in a month. I heard we actually might have flooding - did I suddenly move to Vancouver without noticing?

Comments

[damara.livejournal.com]

Well, so claimed the 680 meteorologist this morning, as I was driving to work. Now I really want to look it up and find out whether that is true. Also, I'd love to find out what exactly a "closed low" is.

Maybe at lunch.

[insaint.livejournal.com]

Also, I'd love to find out what exactly a "closed low" is.

Good question. Some low pressure system, perhaps? I don't know.

[damara.livejournal.com]

Well, I imagine you're right. But what makes it closed? As opposed to open or any other type?

[insaint.livejournal.com]

Here:
A closed low has several characteristics. Closed lows tend to be deep pressure systems with one or more height contours encircling them on the analysis charts at all levels in the troposphere. A closed low is occluded and vertically stacked. Because the low is closed, it does not generate much PVA and NVA. The vort max will be near the center of rotation. It is difficult to get a windflow that produces vorticity advection because the vorticity isopleths for the most part are parallel to the height contours. The weather associated with closed lows tends to be cloudy with showers in the vacinity of the low's center. Closed lows are often slow movers but can move quickly if they are embedded within the jet stream. Cloudy and rainy weather can persist with the slow movers. A special case of the closed low is the cut-off low. Thermal advection tends to be weak with closed lows since they are occluded.
- http://www.theweatherprediction.com/habyhints/200/

Re:

[damara.livejournal.com]

*blinkblink*

Is that written in English?

*grins*

Thanks!

[eustacio.livejournal.com]

I'm quite sure it is definately not written in English. More like gobbledegook or something similar.

[insaint.livejournal.com]

It /looks/ like English... but I'm not sure. Frankly, that's the best (and only, for that matter) definition that I could find.

[damara.livejournal.com]

I like ringzero's better. His is written in English.

[ringzero.livejournal.com]

A closed low is a low pressure region that is closed off, i.e., it's completely surrounded by high pressure regions. Since it's cut off from the main low pressure systems, it doesn't usually move very quickly.

You've got a low pressure system, overcast and dreary, for a few days probably.

[damara.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that makes sense. Unless it gets caught by the jet stream, according to the docs Alery found.

*grins*

Overcast, dreary and lots of rain, apparently. Yay?!