a) Tornadoes

• Establish temporal and spatial variability
• Determine how distance from the coast affects the temporal and spatial variability
  

b) Thermodynamic and Dynamic Environments for Tornadic Storms

• Construct proximity soundings
• Stratify proximity soundings by time/distance from the coast
• Determine CAPE/shear/hodograph profiles
• Stratify CAPE/shear/hodograph profiles by time/distance from the coast
  
• Determine LFC/LCL profiles
• Stratify LFC/LCL profiles by time/distance from the coast
  

c) STJ/LLJ Structure

• Construct mean STJ/LLJ profiles for tornado days
• Stratify STJ/LLJ profiles by time/distance from coast
• Determine STJ short-wave trough (SWT) frequency over Gulf
• Determine frequency (yield) of tornadoes associated with STJ SWTs
• Relate cloud/OLR/lightning signatures to the STJ
  

a) Active vs. Inactive Seasons

• Rank 1950-2001 cool season periods by tornadic frequency
• Construct seasonal wind/mass field composites for 20% most active/inactive seasons
  

b) Significant Tornado Days

• Construct wind/mass field composites for all significant (F2 or greater) tornado days 
• Compare/contrast composites for the 20% most active/inactive days vs. climatology
  

c) Southern Oscillation Index

• Rank 1950-2001 cool seasons by SOI values
• Compare/contrast composites for 20% highest/lowest SOI values and compare with results of a) and b)
  

d) Storm-Relative Circulations

• Construct storm-relative composites for significant tornado days and null event days
• Compare storm-relative composites of significant tornado days in terms of LLJ/STJ structure, CAPE/shear/hodograph profiles, LFC/LCL profiles and planetary boundary layer theta-e structure
  

a)  Select several significant tornado cases with emphasis on recent years for which enhanced datasets are available
b) Repeat above except for null cases such as the 'bowling ball' trough case of 29 Novenver 2001
c) Conduct detailed diagnostic analyses of a subset of the significant tornado and null event cases
d) Conduct a STJ/PFJ SWT census for two cool seasons, one active and one inactive
e) Determine severe weather/significant tornado yield from SWTs
f) Determine how STJ/PFJ SWT interaction affects cold air frequency over the Gulf of Mexico
g) Use daily database to asses whether the LLJ is stronger at night and in the early morning hours along the Gulf coast
h) Track return flow events where the air crosses the LC and/or originates over the Yucatan peninsula to assess the impact on the boundary layer theta-e values
i) Focus on lifting and destabilization mechanisms and moistening processes in the diagnostic analyses

a) Diagnosis of reruns of significant tornado and null cases
b) Eta sensitivity experiments to SST/LC
c) Eta sensitivity to oceanic heat/moisture fluxes
d) Eta sensitivity to deep/shallow convective schemes
e) Eta trajectory analysis of return-flow destabilization
f) Eta sensitivity to coupled LLJ/STJ circulations and destabilization
g) Sensitivity of Eta convective parameterizations to model resolution