Midwest Cyclone of October 2010:  GFS Analyses
Midwest cyclone Midwest cyclone Midwest cyclone Midwest cyclone
Click plots to view loops


Pacific–North American DT loop: 13–27 Oct 2010
Pacific–North American domain Potential temperature (shaded, K) and wind (barbs, kt) on the DT (1.5-PVU surface); 925–850-hPa layer-mean cyclonic relative vorticity (black contours, every 5 x 10-5 s-1)

Megi best-track data obtained from Japan Meteorological Agency

PV frontogenesis loops: 13–27 Oct 2010



250-hPa PV (shaded, PVU), wind (barbs, kt), and PV frontogenesis [black contours, every 1 PVU (100 km)-1 (3 h)-1]


Loops of PV advection by the irrotational wind: 13–27 Oct 2010



250-hPa PV (shaded, PVU), 600–400-hPa layer averaged ascent (magenta contours, every 5 x 10-3 hPa s-1), and 200–300-hPa irrotational wind (vectors, m s-1) and PV advection by the irrotational wind (black contours, every 5 PVU day-1)


Loops of PV advection by the nondivergent wind: 13–27 Oct 2010



250-hPa PV (shaded, PVU) and streamfunction (magenta contours, every 10 x 106 m2 s-1), and 200–300-hPa PV advection by the nondivergent wind (black contours, every 10 PVU day-1)


North–south (10°–60°N) cross section loops: 13–27 Oct 2010



East–west (120°E–180°) cross section loops: 13–27 Oct 2010



East–west (180°–60°W) cross section loops: 13–27 Oct 2010


Potential temperature (blue contours, K), wind (barbs, kt), PV (shaded, PVU), vertical motion (red contours, every 3 x 10-3 hPa s-1, zero line omitted), and frontogenesis [black contours, every 2 K (100 km)-1 (3 h)-1, starting at 1 K (100 km)-1 (3 h)-1]