4. Forecast Applications

Convection » Microbursts: Wet vs. Dry Dry Microbursts

Sounding conducive for dry microburst

Here we see a typical sounding associated with dry microbursts. You can open the Interactive Skew-T with this sounding.

The lower troposphere is relatively dry, with moist, sometimes saturated conditions at mid levels. Due to the distinct appearance of their temperature and dewpoint curves, we sometimes refer to dry microburst soundings as "inverted-V" soundings. The CCL is high and therefore the convection typically has a high base, with precipitation evaporating into the drier layer in the lower troposphere. The evaporative cooling in turn contributes to negative buoyancy fueling strong downdrafts. These downdrafts spread horizontally once they reach the surface. Often no precipitation actually reaches the surface. Only a ring of dust below the virga may signify the presence of a dry microburst.