ACCAS(usually pronounced ACK-kis) - AltoCumulus CAStellanus; mid-level clouds (bases generally 8 to 15 thousand feet), of which at least a fraction of their upper parts show cumulus-type development. These clouds often are taller than they are wide, giving them a turret-shaped appearance. ACCAS clouds are a sign of instability aloft, and may precede the rapid development of thunderstorms.Accessory CloudA cloud which is dependent on a larger cloud system for development and continuance. Roll clouds, shelf clouds, and wall clouds are examples of accessory clouds.AccretionThe growth of a precipitation particle by the collision of a frozen particle with a supercooled liquid water droplet which freezes upon impact.ACCUMSaccumulationAccuracyDegree of conformity of a measure to a standard or true value; in other words, how close a predicted or measured value is to the true value.ARTCCAir Route Traffic Control CenterCCCloud-to-Cloud LightningCCITTConsultative Committee for International Telephone and TelegraphCCLConvective Condensation Level- The level in the atmosphere to which an air parcel, if heated from below, will rise dry adiabatically, without
becoming colder than its environment just before the parcel becomes saturated. See Lifted Condensation Level
(LCL).Cold OcclusionA frontal zone formed when a cold front overtakes a warm front and, being colder than the air ahead of the warm front, slides under the warm front, lifting it aloft. Compare with warm occlusion.EccentricityA dimensionless quantity describing the elliptical shape of a planet's orbit.MCCMesoscale Convective Complex. A large MCS, generally round or oval-shaped, which normally reaches peak intensity at night. The formal definition includes specific minimum criteria for size, duration, and eccentricity (i.e., "roundness"), based on the cloud shield as seen on infrared satellite photographs:
- Size: Area of cloud top -32 degrees C or less: 100,000 square kilometers or more (slightly smaller than the state of Ohio), and area of cloud top -52 degrees C or less: 50,000 square kilometers or more
- Duration: Size criteria must be met for at least 6 hours
- Eccentricity: Minor/major axis at least 0.7
MCCs typically form during the afternoon and evening in the form of several isolated thunderstorms, during which time the potential for severe weather is greatest. During peak intensity, the primary threat shifts toward heavy rain and flooding.NCCFNOAA Central Computer FacilityOccluded FrontA composite of two fronts, formed as a cold front overtakes a warm or quasi-stationary front. Two types of occlusions can form depending on the relative coldness of the air behind the cold front to the air ahead of the warm or stationary front. A cold occlusion results when the coldest air is behind the cold front and a warm occlusion results when the coldest air is ahead of the warm front.Occluded MesocycloneA mesocyclone in which air from the rear-flank downdraft has completely enveloped the circulation at low levels, cutting off the inflow of warm unstable low-level air.Sacramento Soil Moisture Accounting Model (SAC-SMA)A continuous soil moisture accounting model with spatially lumped parameters that simulates runoff within a basin.Snow Accumulation and Ablation ModelIn hydrologic terms, a model which simulates snow pack accumulation, heat exchange at the air-snow interface, areal extent of snow cover, heat
storage within the snow pack, liquid water retention, and transmission and heat exchange at the ground-snow interface.Staccato LightningA Cloud to Ground (CG) lightning discharge which appears as a single very bright, short-duration stroke, often with considerable branching.Warm OcclusionA frontal zone formed when a cold front overtakes a warm front and, finding colder air ahead of the warm front, leaves the ground and rises up and over this denser air. Compare with cold occlusion.WRCCWestern Regional Climate Center
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