Thermal Front Parameter

10 March 2006, 00 UTC

The highest values of the TFP field are indicating the location of the front. One of the maxima is spreading from the Alpine region towards Balearic Islands. The second one is placed in middle Europe, over Poland and North Sea. In this case the main zone of cloudiness appears within the whole front (indicated by the TFP) and which is the situation typical for Ana cold front. Usually in the classical model of Ana CF the cloudiness appears behind the surface front but in the case where there are high upper level winds the high cloud extends downstream ahead of the surface front, leading to a TFP maximum within the cloud band.

10 March 2006, 06 UTC

At this time the intensification of a cold front can be seen through the increased values of TFP.

10 March 2006, 12 UTC

The frontal cloud band over middle Europe and Mediterranean is enhanced. 

10 March 2006, 18 UTC

At this instant there are still high values of TFP over Hungary, Croatia and Italy. The system over the northwestern Europe and Atlantic shows very high values of TFP.

11 March 2006, 00 UTC

The situation is very similar to the one 6 hours earlier. In the last image in this sequence there are very high values of TFP (about 3) located in the leading area of the cloud band. There are also very high values of TFP spreading from Iceland all the way to north-east of Spain.