Why is the ITCZ tiltled like this?

[hurricanetrack]

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/DATA/RT/EATL/IR4/20.jpg

Take a look. Why is the ITCZ titled from SW to NE? Its SW end is lower in latitude than the NE end. Why is that? It almost always looks like that.

[vacanechaser]

strength of the azores high maybe???

no..... its SAL.... lol


Jesse V. Bass III
http://www.vastormphoto.com
Hurricane Intercept Research Team

[brunota2003]

sal my butt... I was thinking about the high maybe pushing things down just a tad?

[cycloneye]

Jesse,you said why,Azores high strong and positioned more south than average.

[Matt-hurricanewatcher]

I agree the Azores high is centered about 35 to 40 west...With less high over northern Africa. Which is pushing the the Itcz down on its westward side.

Also the Azores high on its southern side has a easly flow which can blow SAL/Dust into the Atlatnic. So yes for your earlier quastion there is SAL over the eastern Atlatnic. As you noted earlier its not all SAL but sinking air.

[Aquawind]

Azores has kept it down south.. It has been coming off of Africa at the angle SW-NE forever it seems.

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/f ... itcz.shtml

The African portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone was located near 16.4 degrees north latitude (averaged from 15W-35E) during the period from July 1-10 2006, compared to the normal position of 16.7 north and a position last year of 18.1 north. Overall, the African region near the ITCZ was abnormally dry during the latest period, though much of Sudan and Ethiopia were exceptionally wet. Examining figure 1, it is obvious that while localized biases exist in ITCZ position, there is no clear trend that would explain this lack of rainfall based solely on the ITCZ. In the west (from 10W-10E), the ITCZ was located near 17.9 degrees north during the past dekad, compared to a normal position of 17.8 north and a position last dekad of 16.1 north. See figure 2. From figure 3, the eastern Africa region (20E-35E) saw the ITCZ located near 14.7 degrees north during July 1-10 2006, compared to a 1988-2005 mean of 15.3N and a position last dekad of 14.4N.

The Azores has been south and strong for sometime now.. last 14 day has been the same for months..

http://www.opc.ncep.noaa.gov/UA.shtml

[KWT]

Believe it or not but actually the Azores high really isn't that strong atthe moment, in fact pressure around the Azores region has on average been slightly below average, with the Azores high often being displaced NE into Europe which has caused western parts of Europe to be quite hot over the last month or so.

[Aquawind]

Yeah the high has been displaced or almost split with some Low pressures passing through but looking at the surface analysis loop above you can see the main center has been equal or south of the Azores. Strength is always relative but it still has the same affect on the ITCZ with a major ridge in the ATL..

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/tafb_latest/atl ... BW_sm3.gif

http://www.opc.ncep.noaa.gov/Loops/UA_E ... _Day.shtml

1030-1031 and yes looks to be warming Europe at the moment..

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/tafb_latest/TSA_latestBW.gif