Lack of correspondence between microphysical and electrical boundaries in thunderstorms

Several observational techniques are available to map the distribution of charge polarity in thunderstorms. These include in situ electric field observations on airborne platforms such as balloons or aircraft, as well as remote sensing systems such as the Lightning Mapping Array. Similarly, several observational techniques are available to map the distribution of microphysical characteristics within thunderstorms. These include in situ microphysical probes on airborne platforms such as balloons or aircraft, as well as remote sensing systems such as polarimetric radars. In general, boundaries that separate charge regions of different polarities do not correspond to boundaries between regions with different microphysical characteristics, at least as far as can be distinguished with available instrumentation. Several examples derived from storm missions conducted by the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology armored T-28 will be used to illustrate this lack of correspondence.