Unusually Strong Vertical Motions in a Caribbean Hurricane

Unusually strong updrafts and downdrafts in the eyewall of Hurricane Emily (1987) during its rapidly deepening phase are documented by both in situ aircraft measurements and a vertically pointing Doppler radar. Updrafts and downdrafts as strong as 24 and 19 m s−1, respectively, were found. Mean updrafts and downdrafts were approximately twice as strong as those found in other hurricanes. Updrafts had approximately the same width as downdrafts. The most vigorous updrafts were located in the front quadrants of the storm, and most of the strongest downdrafts were found in the rear quadrants. The downdrafts could not be explained in terms of evaporative or melting cooling, or precipitation drag. Evidence is presented that moist symmetric instability initiated by precipitation loading may have been responsible for the strong downdrafts.