163 Single and Dual-Doppler Radar Observations of a Left-Moving Supercell Thunderstorm on 26 May 2009

Wednesday, 7 November 2012
Symphony III and Foyer (Loews Vanderbilt Hotel)
Mark D. Savin, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL; and J. W. Frame

Handout (935.8 kB)

Radar observations of a left-moving nontornadic supercell obtained by two Doppler on Wheels (DOW) radars on 26 May 2009 near Dallas, TX, during the first field phase of the Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment 2 (VORTEX2) are presented. Single-Doppler observations began while the storm was a mature left-moving supercell and continued for approximately half an hour, after which time a second radar also began scanning the storm. Dual-Doppler observations lasted for about an hour, during which time the storm began to develop right-moving characteristics. Single-Doppler observations of the reflectivity and radial velocity fields in conjunction with dual-Doppler wind syntheses and synoptic weather observations will be used to diagnose the hydrometeor, flow, and vorticity fields near and within the storm. Subsequently, these observations will be used to deduce possible reasons for the development of right-moving characteristics within what was originally a left-moving supercell. Additionally, thermodynamic data obtained from mobile mesonets and sounding platforms will be analyzed in concert with the radar-derived wind and hydrometeor fields to more thoroughly depict the evolution of this supercell.
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