Surges of Maritime Tropical Air Northward Over the Gulf of California

Abstract

Several surges of maritime tropical air into the deserts of Arizona and California are investigated. These surges are related to the large cloud masses of tropical origin located over the Gulf of California. A natural channel exists for this surge transport; it is about 200 mi in width, the western boundary being the rugged ridge line extending the length of Baja California and the eastern boundary being the broad Sierra Madre Range. The surge process resembles that of a very large-scale sea breeze with the greatest energy transport occurring near the surface and disappearing in the middle troposphere. Four case studies are analyzed in detail.