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Bore-like Gravity Wave Signatures over Texas

By Scott Lindstrom •

GOES-13 Visible (0.63 µm) images [click to play animation]

GOES-13 Visible (0.63 µm) images [click to play animation]

GOES-13 (above) and GOES-15 (below) both captured the propagation of gravity waves that displayed Bore-like attributes along an inversion with a cold front over central Texas. (Click here for an animation of GOES-13 and GOES-15 side-by-side that includes observed surface winds).

GOES-15 Visible (0.63 µm) images [click to play animation]

GOES-15 Visible (0.63 µm) images [click to play animation]

There was a temperature drop across the front, and modest wind gusts occurred just after the lowest pressure associated with the feature passed, but those gusts occurred only in a narrow corridor in central Texas: KSNK (Snyder) reported gusts of 14 knots (0925 UTC); KSWW (Sweetwater) reported gusts of 15 knots (1035 UTC); KABI (Abilene) reported gusts to 17 knots (1152 UTC); KBWD (Brownwood) reported gusts to 24 knots at 1335 UTC; KMKN (Comanche) reported gusts of 22 knots at 1355 UTC (See also the image below). The narrowness of this corridor is likely related to the strength of the inversion along which the bore is propagating (The 1200 UTC Soundings from Fort Worth and from Del Rio both show a very strong inversion; perhaps there was a weakness in the inversion over central Texas that allowed for more vertical mixing).

GOES-13 Visible (0.63 µm) imagery at 1400 UTC; Station Locations are indicated, including the 5 stations with identifiable Wind Gusts associated with the Bore Feature [click to enlarge]

GOES-13 Visible (0.63 µm) imagery at 1400 UTC; Station Locations are indicated, including the 5 stations with identifiable Wind Gusts associated with the Bore Feature (Gust Strength in knots and time of Gust indicated) [click to enlarge]

During the preceding nighttime hours, the early stage of the undular bore feature was detected on an Aqua MODIS Water Vapor (6.7 µm) image, below, along the leading edge of the colder air and colder surface brightness temperatures (light to medium blue colors) seen on the corresponding MODIS Infrared (11.0 µm) image at 0807 UTC or 2:07 am local time.

Aqua MODIS Water Vapor (6.7 µm) and Infrared (11.0 µm) images [click to enlarge]

Aqua MODIS Water Vapor (6.7 µm) and Infrared (11.0 µm) images [click to enlarge]

(Hat tip to Mike Johnson, NWS in San Angelo for tweeting about this feature!)

Categories: General interpretation, GOES-13, GOES-15, MODIS