Storm top dynamics and GOES thermal infrared imagery (contd)
Class-2 storm
Class 3: Cold/warm couplet forms with the stormtop between the cold and warm components to the couplet.
In this case, there is a stratospheric inversion. With the same mixing as in the last class of stormtop, the parcel temperature mixes with warmer air and begins to warm before the parcel reaches its peak altitude.
The image above shows the parcel trajectory reaching its coldest point 'C' before reaching the top of the storm at and then descending to its warm spot 'W'. Note the altitude of the warm and cold points are the same.
Figure from Adler and Mack, 1986 showing a time to space trajectory of an overshooting parcel compared to satellite observations for a class-3 stormtop.
