AbstractThis paper revisits the mechanism for the interaction of the boundary layer with extratropical cyclones. Two diagnostic approaches are compared: Ekman pumping and potential vorticity. Ekman pumping derives from the boundary layer stress which induces convergence and ascent. boundary layer potential vorticity contains in a single quantity both the vorticity and stratification. These quantities are compared for an idealized extratropical cyclone life cycle simulated with the Met Office Unified Model.A significant component of the boundary layer stress and thus Ekman pumping at occlusion is forced by the cold conveyor‐belt jet in the unstable boundary layer. In contrast, much of the boundary layer depth‐averaged potential vorticity is contained within the stable warm‐sector region. Inversion of the warm‐sector PV indicates a small local deepening of about 2.5 hPa. Moreover, switching off the boundary layer mixing in the unstable cold sector has much more impact than in the stable warm sector.The sensitivity of the cyclone and its boundary layer to basic‐state jet strength is then investigated. The maximum friction velocity scales closely with the initial maximum jet strength. This demonstrates the important role of the large‐scale flow in organizing the boundary layer structure. Changes in the minimum pressure produced by altering the boundary layer parametrization correspond closely to changes in the surface stress averaged over the cyclone. Different operational changes to the boundary layer scheme produce small and compensating changes to the cyclone minimum pressure over three days. © Crown Copyright 2007. Reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd