Simulating an Extreme Wind Event in a Topographically Complex Region

Complex topography modifies local weather characteristics such as air temperature, rainfall and airflow within a larger regional extent. The Cape Peninsula around Cape Town, South Africa, is a complex topographical feature responsible for the modification of rainfall and wind fields largely downstream of the Peninsula. During the passage of a cold front on 2 October 2002, an extreme wind event associated with tornado-like damage occurred in the suburb of Manenberg, however synoptic conditions did not indicate convective activity typically associated with a tornado. A numerical regional climate model was operated at very high horizontal resolution (500 m) to investigate the dynamics of the event. The model simulated an interaction between the topography of the peninsula and an airflow direction change associated with the passage of the cold front. A small region of cyclonic circulation was simulated over Manenberg that was embedded in an area of negative vorticity and a leeward gravity wave. The feature lasted 14 min and moved in a north to south direction. Vertically, it was not evident above 220 m. The model assessment describes this event as a shallow but intense cyclonic vortex generated in the lee of the peninsula through an interaction between the peninsula and a change in wind direction as the cold front made landfall. The model did not simulate wind speeds associated with the observed damage suggesting that the horizontal grid resolution ought to be at the scale of the event to more completely understand such microscale airflow phenomena.