Profiling of Winter Storms (PLOWS): What we are learning about winter precipitation bands

The Profiling of Winter Storms (PLOWS) project was carried out in 2009 and 2010 to improve the understanding of the dynamics and microphysics of intense narrow precipitation bands often observed in the wraparound region of midlatitude continental cyclones.  While much of the data analysis is only just beginning, some measurements - including those from remote sensing platforms aboard the C-130 aircraft - have already revealed surprising details in cyclones sampled by PLOWS.  Supercooled water in environments as cold as -25C and cloud-top structures consistent with potential instability have been common in PLOWS airborne measurements and are among the findings we will report on at the conference.