Mesoscale numerical simulations of heavy nocturnal rainbands associated with coastal fronts in the Mediterranean Basin

Abstract

Three offshore rainbands associated with nocturnal coastal fronts formed near the Israeli coastline, the Gulf of Genoa and on the northeastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula, are simulated using version 3.3 of the WRF-ARW mesoscale model in order to study the dynamics of the atmosphere in each case. The simulations show coastal fronts producing relatively high (in comparison with some other similar rainbands) 1 and 10 h accumulated precipitations that formed in the Mediterranean Basin. According to these simulations, the coastal fronts that formed near the Israeli coastline and over the Gulf of Genoa are quasi-stationary, while the one that formed on the northeastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula moves away from the coast. For the three events, we evaluate and intercompare some parameters related to convective triggering, deceleration induced by the cold pool in the upstream flow, and the blockage that the cold coastal front offers to the warmer maritime air mass.