Idealised Numerical Experiments of Alpine Flow Regimes and Southside Precipitation Events

Summary  Heavy precipitation events to the south of the Alps are usually associated with a southerly pre-frontal low-level jet advecting moisture toward the southern slopes of the Alps. Here we use idealised numerical simulations to assess the nature of the associated flow regimes and the mechanisms leading to vertical lifting and precipitation. The idealisations comprise: a simplified arc-shaped barrier-like orographic obstacle of Alpine scale; neglection of the tropopause; a stationary two-dimensional upstream flow configuration that includes a frontal structure and a low-level jet; hydrostatic dynamics with free-slip lower boundary conditions; and a simplified set of parameterizations to address dry, moist absolutely stable, and moist conditionally unstable upstream flow configurations. Within the dry dynamics, typical settings lead to Alpine-scale flow splitting with pronounced left/right asymmetries with respect to the incident southerly flow. Strong vertical lifting occurs over the western portion of the upstream slopes, within the stream of air that tries to circum go the elongated obstacle on the western flank. Thus, despite belonging to the “flow-around” regime, these flow configurations can exhibit vertical lifting over the whole height of the obstacle. The responsible asymmetry is primarily induced by the Coriolis effect in the presence of an elongated mountain, but it can further be intensified by the impinging low-level jet and the arc-shape of the Alpine topography. With a conditionally unstable moist upstream profile, the flow is able to surmount the obstacle without pronounced horizontal deflections. Maximum precipitation rates of are obtained. When moist convection is suppressed by using a moist absolutely stable upstream profile, the flow is again substantially deflected and shows the typical characteristics of the dry flow regime discussed above, with somewhat reduced precipitation rates as compared to the convective case. Overall there is evidence that the asymmetry introduced by the Coriolis effect, a pronounced low-level jet, and a moist upstream profile, all facilitate vertical lifting and thereby provide a suitable environment for heavy condensation and precipitation. Received March 22, 1999/Revised August 18, 1999