Convective Lifecycle Insights from RELAMPAGO Observations Near the Sierras De Córdoba

The mountainous region of west central Argentina is a global focal point for initiation of deep convection, rapid upscale growth, and production of severe weather. Motivated by satellite-based studies over this region, the 2018-19 Remote sensing of Lightning and Mesoscale/microscale Processes with Adaptive Ground Observations (RELAMPAGO) field campaign was designed to observe the full convective lifecycle near the Sierras de Córdoba (SDC), including continuous 3-D radar measurements of the convective systems. These C- and X-band radars included dual-polarization capabilities and were deployed to provide 3-D winds allowing analysis of the microphysical and kinematic evolution of convection in the context of mobile sounding and surface observations. A working hypothesis for rapid upscale growth and backbuilding of these convective systems emphasizes a unique and complex interaction between the mountainous terrain, intense convection, and cold pools that can be analyzed through the RELAMPAGO datasets. This presentation describes convective characteristics (including depth, peak intensity, spatial extent, hydrometeor inferences, and location with respect to terrain) throughout convective lifecycle observed by ground-based radars during RELAMPAGO. Furthermore, a case study will be presented that highlights the rapid upscale growth and continued development of convection near the SDC through integration of polarimetric radar data with cold pool and large-scale environmental observations.