|OUTFLOW BOUNDARY CHARACTERISTICS
METEOROLOGIST JEFF HABY
An outflow boundary is a mesoscale cold front. Because of the small spatial area they encompass, the
have difficulty integrating them into the output. Outflow boundaries primary originate from thunderstorms.
Colder mid-level air is brought down to the surface in the downdraft of a thunderstorm. An outflow boundary is most
well defined when it occurs out ahead of a
squall line or thunderstorm
complex. The downdrafts from several
thunderstorms merge into one outflow boundary. The outflow boundary causes rising air along the edge. The
warm and moist air rises when it converges into the denser outflow boundary air. An outflow
boundary can be a focusing mechanism for new
thunderstorms, even a day after the outflow boundary has formed. Knowing the position of the outflow boundary
can help a forecaster pinpoint the location storms will form the next day. If the atmosphere is
outflow boundary can act as the trigger mechanism for deep convection (thunderstorms).