An Analysis of the Oklahoma City Storm on 9 May 2003 (formerly paper 14.4)

A weak tornado formed around sunset in the late evening of 9 May, 2003, only to intensify to F-3 strength as the night progressed. The proximity of the system to the University of Oklahoma allowed for collection of multifarious data sets, including dual-polarization data from the KOUN radar. Doppler data from the KOUN and KTLX radars were objectively analyzed to determine storm-relative fields for the central Oklahoma system. Representative kinematic variables near significant features such as the Bounded Weak Echo Region (BWER), the forward overhang region, and primarily the Rear Flank Downdraft (RFD) of the Oklahoma City storm are described over the course of the storm’s evolution. The derived wind field was then used to diagnose the system’s forcing mechanisms, specifically shear interaction with the RFD, for this particular storm.