Dear C. Weiss et al.,

Thank you for submitting your revised manuscript and detailed response letter. You may see that both reviewers are positive, however, the second referee suggests further minor revisions for better clarity for the readers.

Please note that both reviewers raised concern regarding deltaZ at 800 hPa as a diagnostic for the gap winds, especially given that the diagnostic peaks also prior to the onset of the gap winds, e.g., during 12 January. The addition of the smoothed values as panel 3b in the revised manuscript partly addresses this issue, and indeed shows that a clearer peak emerges on 14 January. However, accompanying text is needed in the manuscript as well, as other readers may have the same concern. I agree with the second referee that a more elaborate discussion of the atmospheric structure during the days prior to onset is necessary to complete this description.

Furthermore, it is the aim of the study to reveal whether the flow is dynamically- or thermally-driven. However, using the simulation set it is not possible to disentangle the components, as noted by the second referee as well. I therefore suggest that you rephrase lines 80-82 along the lines of the conclusions of this study.

Looking forward to receiving your revised manuscript and response,
Shira

Dear Cornelius Weiß and coauthors,

Thank you for submitting your revised manuscript and addressing the additional comments.
I am now happy to accept the manuscript for publication in WCD.

Congrats! and kind regards,
Shira