Observed structure of banded precipitation features in cold-season extratropical cyclones

The Profiling Of Winter Storms (PLOWS) field project took place between 2009 and 2010 to observe the structure of cold-season extratropical cyclones over the central United States. Intensive observations of a large number of cyclones were made with a focus on documenting the structure of embedded features, such as precipitation bands, and understanding the mechanisms controlling their development.

Measurements obtained during PLOWS, primarily within the cyclone observed on 14-15 February 2010, are used in this presentation to exemplify cold-season continental cyclone structure, focusing on the relationship between embedded banded precipitation dynamics and associated microphysical properties. High-resolution measurements of radar reflectivity and vertical air velocity (derived from the original Doppler particle radial velocity measurements) from the University of Wyoming Cloud Radar onboard the National Center for Atmospheric Research C-130 aircraft and from a ground-based vertically-pointing X-band precipitation radar, supplemented with lidar and microphysical observations, will be used to describe the structural characteristics of the bands and their relationship to ice particle growth.

The analysis will focus particularly on the bands occurring along the interface between the mid-tropospheric dry slot and the moist air stream to its immediate north and east. The characteristics of the bands in this region will be contrasted with weaker reflectivity enhancements occurring well within the moist airstream.