Analyzing Cold Pool Depths in Thunderstorms During Summer Months of 2018

This research focused on estimations of the depths of cold pools that formed with convective storms during the summer months of 2018. Cold pools are made visible in radar data through their associated outflow boundaries, which have a telltale arc shape in radar reflectivity caused by insects attracted to the rising air at the boundary edge. Cold pools observed near the Lincoln, Illinois (KILX) WSR-88D were considered. Using GR2Analyst and the KILX data, the highest and lowest beam heights intersecting the cold pool were recorded. The maximum height achieved by the cold pools for each separate case identified will be correlated with environmental parameters such as CAPE and vertical wind shear. Correlations between cold pool depths and the size, type, and intensity of the associated convective storm will also be analyzed.