The structure and time evolution of polarimetric signatures in severe convective storms based on high-resolution numerical simulations and data from a mobile, dual-polarized, X-band Doppler radar

Previous studies have noted several polarimetric signatures within supercells, including the "Z_DR arc," "ρ_HV ring," and "Z_DR tower." Most of these studies focused on observational data, as numerical simulations were largely unable to retrieve properly the polarimetric representation within the model. In this study, the Advanced Regional Prediction System model is used to simulate severe convective storms in environments of varying convective available potential energy (CAPE) – shear combinations. A polarimetric radar emulator is used to examine the structure of the polarimetric signatures associated with the convection as a function of CAPE and shear and as a function of time. Since 2007, faculty and students at the University of Oklahoma and the University of Massachusetts have been using the UMass XPol radar, a dual-polarized, mobile, X-band Doppler radar, to collect volumetric datasets within severe convective storms. Some polarimetric signatures seen in these datasets will be noted and compared with what is found in numerical simulations for similar CAPE and shear.