Keith234
Storm Chaser
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Posts: 921
Loc: 40.7N/73.3W Long Island
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This question has be posted in another fourm, I thought it might fit here better. What causes convective bursts at night in hurricanes?
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"I became insane with horrible periods of sanity"
Edgar Allan Poe
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LI Phil
User
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Posts: 2637
Loc: Long Island (40.7N 73.6W)
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avatars from jaws
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2005 Forecast: 14/7/4
BUCKLE UP!
"If your topic ain't tropic, your post will be toast"
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Keith234
Storm Chaser
Reged: Thu
Posts: 921
Loc: 40.7N/73.3W Long Island
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I got tried of looking at the same avatar, I guess this one isn't working either. Thanks for telling me!!
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"I became insane with horrible periods of sanity"
Edgar Allan Poe
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Clark
Meteorologist
Reged: Wed
Posts: 1710
Loc:
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There is a phenomenon called the diurnal convective cycle, leading to nighttime being more favorable for convection in storms.
I was unable to find a definitive answer to what exactly it is, so the following is my own hypothesis from what I did find and what I've learned about tropical meteorology through the years...so perhaps take it with a grain of salt.
At night, you have less solar radiation (insolation) reaching the top of the atmosphere from the sun...well, to tell the truth, no solar radiation reaching the top of the atmosphere from the sun. This results in a cooler atmosphere as a whole. While the temperatures in the upper troposphere are always cold to begin with, when there is less insolation, the overall temperatures are going to be colder. Thus, you see a minimum in the mid-to-late afternoon, when the amount of insolation through the day is at its peak (around the time you see the daily high temperature at the surface), whereas you see a maximum in the overnight hours when the atmosphere has had time to sufficiently cool (around the time you see the daily low temperature at the surface).
If someone can provide a better or more correct/applicable explanation for the topic though, I'm all ears.
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Keith234
Storm Chaser
Reged: Thu
Posts: 921
Loc: 40.7N/73.3W Long Island
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That would make sense, the earth takes time to cool off. Thanks for the anwser Clark.
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"I became insane with horrible periods of sanity"
Edgar Allan Poe
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