What is a PNEUMONIA FRONT??

Question

WINNEBAGO-BOONE-MCHENRY-LAKE IL-OGLE- LEE-DE KALB-KANE-DUPAGE-COOK- KENDALL- WILL-LAKE IN-PORTER- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ROCKFORD...WOODSTOCK... WAUKEGAN... OREGON...DIXON...DEKALB... AURORA...CHICAGO...OSWEGO...JOLIET... GARY...VALPARAISO 927 PM CDT MON MAY 26 2008

...PNEUMONIA FRONT MOVING DOWN WESTERN LAKE MICHIGAN...

A PNEUMONIA FRONT CURRENTLY IN FAR SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN WILL CONTINUE TO RAPIDLY DROP SOUTHWARD INTO NORTHERN ILLINOIS AND INDIANA TONIGHT. THIS FRONT HAS BEEN MARKED BY A DRASTIC CHANGE IN TEMPERATURES AND A STRONG WIND SHIFT. TEMPERATURES ALONG THE LAKE FRONT HAVE DROPPED FROM THE LOW TO MID 70S TO THE MID TO UPPER 40S AS THE FRONT PASSES. WINDS HAVE SHIFTED FROM BEING LIGHT AND OUT OF THE WEST TO OUT OF THE NORTHEAST AND GUSTING UP TO 40 MPH AT TIMES ALONG THE LAKE. THIS FRONT WILL BE INTO LAKE AND MCHENRY COUNTIES BY 10PM...COOK... DUPAGE..KANE...DEKALB...AND BOONE COUNTIES BY 1045PM...AND THE REST OF NORTHWEST INDIANA AND NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS BY MIDNIGHT C

Answer 1

A rare, meteorological phenomenon observed on the western Lake Michigan shoreline during the warm season is the pneumonia front. These fronts are defined as lake modified synoptic scale cold fronts that result in one-hour temperature drops of 16 degrees F or greater. Further knowledge of pneumonia fronts is not only important for the efficiency of commerce (aviation and marine), but also essential for sensible weather forecasts for the dense population base along the Lake Michigan coast. Examining surface temperature data from Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin resulted in a set of 25 cases from the period 1948 through 2003. Further investigation of these cases resulted in the identification of two main synoptic patterns coincident with pneumonia front events. Analysis suggests that these synoptic patterns are necessary but not sufficient in the forecasting of the pneumonia front phenomenon. Mesoscale controls of pneumonia front events were examined through the use of a simple model, and sensitivity simulations of a specific event (17 July 2003) using the PSU-NCAR mesoscale model (MM5). The simple advection model showed the following: reduced roughness over a north-south lake allows for stronger impact in the southern lake and shoreline; zonal and northwest-southeast cold fronts are more conducive for pneumonia front cases; and colder lake temperatures in the north increase the near-shore temperature gradient and frontal propagation. The results of the MM5 sensitivity tests suggested the following in regards to the 17 July 2003 pneumonia front: orography had little influence on pneumonia front generation and maintenance; temperature falls relating to the pneumonia front were strongly dependent upon landmass diurnal heating; and Lake Michigan surface water temperatures impacted pneumonia front strength. The insights gained from this research should allow operational forecasters to reliably assess the likelihood of pneumonia front events in the short-range.

Answer 2

A Pneumonia Front is a meteorological event characterized by a drastic change in temperatures and a strong wind shift.

These fronts are defined as lake modified synoptic scale cold fronts that result in one-hour temperature drops of 16 degrees F or greater.

...you have the full description of what it is.

It's basically a cold front that comes in off of a lake or a water substance that changes the temperature by at least 16 or so degrees.....in otherwise, it gets frickin cold.   Kinda like a cold wind blowing through a tundra, but coming off a lake or water front.