The Timing of the Baroclinicity Maximum Along the East and Gulf Coasts of the United States

Certain mid-latitude coastal areas are zones of extreme baroclinicity during the coldest months of the year. Because midlatitude cyclones often tend to travel along these zones of coastal baroclinicity, the exact timing of the variations in the degree of baroclinicity along these coasts is important with regard to the forecasting of cyclonic storm tracks and their associated weather. This study examines the variations in the timing and magnitude of the baroclinicity along the east coast and the Gulf of Mexico of the United States. Near coastal land surface temperatures and sea surface temperatures along both coasts are compared for the months of October through April. Along each coast baroclinicity is found to increase steadily throughout the fall into early winter, with January having the greatest baroclinicity. The January maximum is followed by a steady decrease throughout the remaining months of the study period.