Joint Centre for Mesoscale Meteorology (JCMM)
Extensive studies of extra-tropical cyclones
over the past sixty years have led to a plethora of conceptual models that
describe the structure and evolution of storms. These conceptual
(or structural) models blend observational, experimental and mathematical
studies so as to represent the physical phenomena within a simple, yet
flexible framework. The first three sections of this report review
these conceptual models by stepping through the evolution of a mid-latitude
cyclone and aim to illustrate how, at each stage, conceptual models give
a description of the physical processes occurring within the system.
The fourth section reviews a recent cyclone classification scheme in the
context of these conceptual models, and attempts to group the cyclone classes
into those arising through similar mechanisms. Conceptual models
are then combined with this classification scheme so as to offer a unified
perspective of cyclogenesis out of which a cyclone continuum develops.