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Original Sandy Videos Gallery

  • Hurricane Sandy trajectories
  • Cloud-top temperature
  • Radar reflectivity
  • Wind at 1000 meters
  • Potential Temperature
  • Isosurface of Potential Vorticity at 1000 Meters
  • Potential vorticity @ T=322 isosurface, from South
  • Potential vorticity at 1000 meters
  • Various Animation Sequences of Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy trajectories

Forward air-parcel trajectories, seeded at 1000 m every 5 hours, starting at 1200 UTC 28 October 2012.  Key features include: rapid ascent of air parcels to the tropopause near the inner core and along the outer radius of Sandy and its western flank.  Sandy's greater than 50 m/s anticyclonic outflow jet is highly asymmetric and is confined to the northwest quadrant.  Color indicates wind speed in m/s. Discussed in Mel Shapiro's presentation at the AMS 2013 Townhall "A research-community perspective of the life cycle of Hurricane Sandy"

Cloud-top temperature

WRF-ARW cloud-top temperature overlaid with 1000 meter horizontal wind vectors.  Key features include: signature of dramatic anticyclonic outflow aloft on the western flank of Sandy and lower-tropospheric cyclonic cloud rotation and intermittent cold cloud top convective activity near inner core and outer cold air encirclement.  Grayscale indicates temperature in degrees C.  Discussed in Mel Shapiro's presentation at the AMS 2013 Townhall "A research-community perspective of the life cycle of Hurricane Sandy"

Radar reflectivity

WRF-ARW maximum radar reflectivity overlaid with 1000 meter horizontal wind vectors. Key feature: maintenance of convection near the central core, and widespread convective and stratiform precipitation along the encircling outer wind maximum on the west and southwest flank of Sandy.  Color indicates radar reflectivity in DBZ units.  Discussed in Mel Shapiro's presentation at the AMS 2013 Townhall "A research-community perspective of the life cycle of Hurricane Sandy"

Wind at 1000 meters

Wind at 1000 meters with horizontal wind vectors. Key features include: well-defined wind maximum (greater than 40 m/s) encircling Sandy's inner core persistent throughout the simulation; development of well-defined outer radius wind maximum concurrent with cold air enrichment.  Color indicates wind speed in m/s. Discussed in Mel Shapiro's presentation at the AMS 2013 Townhall "A research-community perspective of the life cycle of Hurricane Sandy"

Potential Temperature

WRF-ARW simulation of potential temperature at 1000 meters, with horizontal wind vectors.  Key features include: enhancement of Sandy's inner warm-core temperature when passing over the axis of the Gulf Stream; cyclonic encirclement of the cold continental polar air.  Both processes increased the baroclinicity and wind speed surrounding Sandy's warm inner core and decreased the central pressure preceding landfall.  Color indicates potential temperature in degrees C. Discussed in Mel Shapiro's presentation at the AMS 2013 Townhall "A research-community perspective of the life cycle of Hurricane Sandy"

Isosurface of Potential Vorticity at 1000 Meters

Top view of WRF-ARW potential vorticity (PV) on the 322-K isentropic surface. Key features include: encirclement of the Sandy inner-core diabatic PV tower by polar stratospheric potential vorticity after 12:00 UTC 29 October 2012; enhancement of extratropical cyclonic wave breaking by Sandy's anticyclonic outflow jet in its northwestern quadrant. Color indicates potential vorticity units (PVU). Discussed in Mel Shapiro's presentation at the AMS 2013 Townhall "A research-community perspective of the life cycle of Hurricane Sandy"

Potential vorticity @ T=322 isosurface, from South

WRF-ARW potential vorticity (PV) on the 322-K isentropic surface.  Key features include: Encirclement of Sandy inner-core by 322-K polar stratospheric PV.  Radial contraction of low-level PV ring concurrent with downward-penetration of 322-K PV prio to landfall.  Colored according to potential vorticity units (PVU). Discussed in Mel Shapiro's presentation at the AMS 2013 Townhall "A research-community perspective of the life cycle of Hurricane Sandy".

Potential vorticity at 1000 meters

Top view of WRF-ARW 1000 meter potential vorticity (PV).  Key feature: encirclement of inner-core PV by the ourt PV filaments and subsequent radial contractionof the outer PV ring during intensification just before landfall.  Colored according to potential vorticity units (PVU).

Various Animation Sequences of Hurricane Sandy

This movie includes all eight separate sequences shown in this gallery, including potential vorticity, temperature, wind speed, cloud-top temperature and wind trajectories. Discussed in Mel Shapiro's presentation at the AMS 2013 Townhall "A research-community perspective of the life cycle of Hurricane Sandy"

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