Observation of a straight-line wind case caused by a gust front and its associated fine-scale structures

A straight-line wind case was observed in Tianjin on 13 June 2005, which was caused by a gust front from a squall line. Mesoscale analyses based on observations from in-situ surface stations, sounding, and in-situ radar as well as fine-scale analyses based on observation tower data were performed. The mesoscale characteristics of the gust front determined its shape and fine-scale internal structures. Based on the scale and wavelet analyses, the fine-scale structures within the gust front were distinguished from the classical mesoscale structures, and such fine-scale structures were associated with the distribution of straight-line wind zones. A series of cross-frontal fine-scale circulations at the lowest levels of the gust front was discovered, which caused a relatively weak wind zone within the frontal strong wind zone. The downdraft at the rear of the head region of the gust front was more intense than in the classical model, and similar to the microburst, a series of vertical vortices propagated from the rear region to the frontal region. In addition, strong tangential fine-scale instability was detected in the frontal region. Finally, a fine-scale gust front model with straight-line wind zones is presented.