Kinematic structure and evolution of the 9 March 2006 Mississippi/Alabama bow echo

Bow echoes are a common meteorological phenomenon and are responsible for many severe weather warnings and weather-related damage. This is especially the case in the Southeast US in the autumn and winter. On 9 March 2006, a severe cold season squall line with a bow echo configuration formed over Louisiana and produced intense winds just east of Columbus, MS, near the Mississippi – Alabama border. From there, it produced a long swath of damaging winds from eastern Mississippi to northern Alabama. While the storm exhibited several familiar earmarks of cold-season bow echoes, it also displayed some unusual characteristics that contributed to the severe weather event. This study uses single Doppler and pseudo-dual Doppler analyses to specifically investigate the characteristics of this bow echo system from its late mature stage to its “breaking” stage, with special attention given to the kinematic structure and evolution of the system and how they relate to the production of severe winds.