Climatology of the Low Level Jet

(Uploaded by Plazi for the Bat Literature Project) Geographical and diurnal variations in the frequency of occurrence of strong low level wind maxima arc detcrmined using 2 yr. of wind data from 47 rawinsonde stations in the United States. Maximum frequency of occurrence is found in the Great Plains at approximately 37'N. and 98"W. The vast majority of jets in this region occur with southerly flow. Southerly wind maxima appear on both morning and afternoon soundings b u t occur with much greater frequency, over a larger area, on the morning observations. Twenty-eight morning jet cases are used to determine average synoptic-scale wind and temperature patterns in the vicinity of the jet. Diurnal wind oscillations are examined by comparisons of jet frequencies, spceds, and altitudes on four-times-daily observations. The oscillation is similar t o that described by Blackadar; however, there is no apparent tendency for the latitudinal variation in period of the oscillation which Blackadar's model implies.