A Study of Wind Profiler Data Collected Upstream during Windstorms in Boulder, Colorado

Abstract

Wind profiler data from Lay Creek, Colorado, along with stability data from the Lander and Grand Junction rawinsonde observations, were examined in an attempt to link various parameters in the upstream flow to the onset of strong downslope winds in Boulder. Some correlation was found between the occurrence of high surface winds at Boulder and the upstream wind direction, upper tropospheric wind shear and the vertical phase shift across the troposphere. However, these parameters alone were not able to distinguish between windstorm and nonwindstorm events. It is likely that the remaining ambiguity could be eliminated with information on the location and strength of inversions in the upstream flow.