A Comparison between a Steady-State Downdraft Model and Observations Behind Squall Lines

Abstract

A simple parcel model has been used to examine the possibility that observed profiles of ?e following the passage of a squall line are produced by air originating in middle-level clouds and descending in steady rain. The model predicts realistic profiles of ? and q. The calculations suggest that in meteorological situations such as squall lines the thermodynamic properties of air associated with evaporating downdrafts can be parameterized by this simple model.