Numerical Simulations of Gust Front / Microburst Collision Dynamics

A microburst is a local, intense downdraft which induces an outburst of damaging winds near the ground which extends 4 km or less. Microbursts are of interest to researchers because of the strong, occasionally damaging surface winds they produce, and the hazardous wind patterns they create for aircraft in the landing or takeoff phases of flight. The dynamics and aircraft hazards posed by an isolated microburst are well understood. Previous work investigating the interaction between colliding microbursts revealed complex dynamical regimes for certain collision geometries (Orf et al. 1996). In some configurations, regions of elevated wind shear were found which would be significantly hazardous to jetliners in the takeoff or landing phases of flight. These hazardous winds were found in regions well outside of the regions typically associated with an isolated microburst.