Exploring the Use of a Storm-Relative Time Height to Analyze Changes in the Preconvective Environment

With this paper, the authors here are presenting a new technique for assessing the pre-convective environment. This new approach is called the Storm-Relative Time Height, and uses model sounding points ahead of an approaching storm and tracks along for the duration of the event. By assessing these points ahead of the event through radar and model data, the environment ahead of the system can be sampled allowing for forecasters to determine if and how the ensuing event will change over a storm’s lifecycle. This approach allows for a hybrid 3D and 2D analysis of the atmosphere.

The day of 03 April 2018 was used as a case study as it presented a variety of different convective storm evolutions including supercells, a QLCS, and a LEWP for long periods of time allowing for this technique to be used in a variety of different settings. There were numerous reports of hail, wind, and tornadoes. Results presented will focus on different types of synoptic-scale and meso-scale events. With the use of the RAOB software, the standard meso-environment parameters are presented. In addition, this research seeks to further the usefulness of DCAPE and DCIN as storms evolve and looks at a new way for forecasters and researchers to evaluate the pre-convective environment.