Downslope windstorms in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec during Tehuantepecer events: a numerical study with WRF high-resolution simulations

Abstract

Tehuantepecers or Tehuanos are extreme winds produced in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, blowing south through Chivela Pass, the mountain gap across the isthmus, from the Gulf of Mexico into the Pacific Ocean. They are the result of the complex interaction between large-scale meteorological conditions and local orographic forcings around Chivela Pass, and occur mainly in winter months due to cold air damming in the wake of cold fronts that reach as far south as the Bay of Campeche. Even though the name refers mostly to the intense mountain gap outflow, Tehuantepecer episodes can also generate other localized extreme wind conditions across the region, such as downslope windstorms and hydraulic jumps, which are strong turbulent flows that have a direct effect on the Pacific side of the isthmus and the Gulf of Tehuantepec.

This study focuses on investigating these phenomena using high horizontal and vertical resolution WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) model simulations. In particular, we employ a 4-nested grid configuration with up to 444 m horizontal spacing in the innermost domain and 70 hybrid-sigma vertical levels, 8 of which lie within the first 200 m above ground. We select one 36 h period in December 2013, when favorable conditions for a strong gap wind situation were observed. The high-resolution WRF experiment reveals a significant fine-scale structure in the strong Tehuano wind flow, beyond the well known gap jet. Depending on the Froude number upstream of the topographic barrier, different downslope windstorm conditions and hydraulic jumps with rotor circulations develop simultaneously at different locations east of Chivela Pass with varied crest height. A comparison with observations suggests that the model accurately represents the spatially heterogeneous intense downslope windstorm and the formation of mountain wave clouds for several hours, with low errors in wind speed, wind direction and temperature.