4) Clear Air Turbulence (CAT)

Medium or high-level turbulence produced in

regions of marked wind shear
- Vertical shear
- Horizontal shear

Typically hundreds of kilometres

HORIZONTALLY and hundreds of metres
VERTICALLY

Individual outbreaks of CAT typically lasts for

a few minutes

Often occurs in the absence of cloud, making

it difficult to detect visually.
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The Richardson number and turbulence

The lower the environmental Ri, the easier it is for a

gravity wave to trigger turbulence where Ri = N2/(dUdz)2

Gravity waves generated by wind shear are displaced

vertically and are then allowed to propagate vertically until
they are refracted by the tropopause

Ri is low when:
Wind shear is high

Ri is high when:
Stability is high eg in stratosphere

Ri < 0.25 = breaking waves.

Ri 0.25-1.0 = perstsistence of turbulence
Ri > 1.0 = non-persistent turbulence
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Main CAT regions

60% of CAT reports are near jet streams

Over land, especially mountainous terrain

Sharp or sharpening upper ridges and troughs

Col areas - Weak winds but marked direction

change.

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Forecasting CAT guidelines

Moderate Severe

Horizontal 20 kt per 30 kt per

wind shear degree of degree of
latitude latitude
Vertical wind 6 kt per 1000 ft 9 kt per 1000
shear ft

5( HorizontalWindShear ) + (VerticalWindShear ) 2 + 42
Dutton Index =
4
CAT is probable when DI >4

Used as UK WAFC NWP diagnostic on HORACE

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Likely CAT areas as related to features on
300hPa chart

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CAT and transverse bands in jet cirrus

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CAT

LE
P
A M
S

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Case study

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