what is a bow echo

A "bow echo" or "bowing line segment" is an arched/bowed out line of thunderstorms, sometimes embedded within a squall line. Bow Echo: A bow echo is the characteristic radar return produced by a thunderstorm’s downdraft that is shaped like an archer’s bow. Typically, a derecho forms from a cluster of thunderstorms that organize into a bow shaped complex known as a bow echo. Bow Echoes. bow echo A bow-shaped line of convective cells that is often associated with swaths of damaging straight-line winds and small tornadoes . Radar image of a bow echo crossing Kansas City at 2:14 AM on 2 May 2008 (NWS Kansas City). Bow Echo A radar echo which is linear but bent outward in a bow shape. According to the National Weather Service a bow echo … A bow echo is the characteristic radar return from a mesoscale convective system that is shaped like an archer’s bow. The line may eventually morph itself into a "bow - like" shape. A bow echo is the characteristic radar return from a mesoscale convective system that is shaped like an archer's bow.These systems can produce severe straight-line winds and occasionally tornadoes, causing major damage.They can also become derechos. What exactly is a bow echo?-The term was coined in the late 1970s by Dr. Fujita.-It’s formed within an ongoing squall line. These systems can produce severe straight-line winds, occasional tornadoes and cause major damage. One of the more significant and intriguing forms of severe weather is the bow echo. A bow echo is a special term used for describing the shape of a line of thunderstorms on the Doppler radar. Bow echoes are relatively small (20-120 km [10-65 nm] long), bow-shaped systems of convective cells that are noted for producing long swaths of damaging surface winds. All these terms fall under the more generic term Quasi-Linear Convective System (QLCS). The term "bow echo" was first used right around 1978. Damaging straight-line winds often occur near the "crest" or center of a bow echo. Bow echo Last updated October 02, 2020. The term “bow echo” was first used by Dr. Theodore Fujita in a May 1978 paper. When the storms … This term was first created by the founder of the Fujita Scale - Dr. Theodore Fujita. Bow echo is a term for mesoscale convective system which is shaped like an archer's bow when shown on radar. ‘Derechos are typically associated with a long lived bow echo or a series of bow echoes.’ ‘Several reports of downed trees and power lines near Altha, and structural damage at Blountstown, Florida were received as the bow echo tracked across Calhoun County.’ A bow echo is a term describing the characteristic radar return from a mesoscale convective system that is shaped like an archer’s bow.These systems can produce severe straight-line winds and occasionally tornadoes, causing major damage.They can also become derechos. 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