A conceptual dual-polarization framework for the 8 May 2003 Oklahoma City tornadic supercell

On 8 May 2003 a tornadic supercell passed through portions of the Oklahoma City metro producing up to F4 damage along its path. This violent storm tracked through the dense, static radar network in central Oklahoma affording a unique data set of multi-platform radar observations for subsequent analysis of this significant event. Observing platforms included the National Weather Service WSR-88D at Twin Lakes, OK, the Oklahoma City Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (hereafter TDWR) as well as the National Severe Storms Laboratory operated WSR-88D with polarization diversity capability (hereafter KOUN). Numerous studies have documented the structure and evolution of tornadic supercell thunderstorms, largely rooted in analysis via conventional single and dual-Doppler radar observations. Yet, despite an increasing prevalence of polarimetric radar observations, to date no studies have documented the structure and morphology of polarimetric signatures associated with tornadic storms as they relate to the archetypical supercell template. In this study, KOUN polarimetric information is added to the already developed conceptual model for the supercell storm. Further, the TDWR observations yield detailed spatial and temporal analyses of the evolution during the tornadogenesis period which is subsequently compared with polarimetric field trends to develop a unique conceptual framework for the tornadogenesis event.