The Island Thunderstorm Experiment (ITEX)—A Study of Tropical Thunderstorms in the Maritime Continent

Abstract

The Island Thunderstorm Experiment (ITEX) is a field and modeling study of the tropical thunderstorms that form regularly over Bathurst and Melville Islands north of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, during the transition season and breaks in the summer monsoon season. Such thunderstorms are of widespread occurrence in the tropics and they play an important role in tropical dynamics. ITEX is a joint project of the Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre and Monash University's Centre for Dynamical Meteorology. Preliminary studies have been used to plan an intensive period of observations that was carried out from 20 November to 10 December 1988. The resulting data will provide the basis for a series of analytical and numerical studies of tropical island thunderstorms.