Core convection in Hurricane Frances (2004)

Hurricane Frances was the second of four powerful hurricanes to strike Florida during the 2004 Atlantic season. Although a category four for much of its lifetime, Frances weakened to a category two storm before making landfall. The weakening was partly due to the effects of westerly environmental vertical shear in excess of 15 m s-1.

Despite weakening, Frances exhibited intense core convection before and during landfall. The evolution of the convection will be examined using satellite imagery and cloud-to ground lightning locations. In addition, flight-level data and dropsondes from NOAA and U.S. Air Force reconnaissance flights, as well as airborne and surface-based radar will be used to examine the nature of the convection in Hurricane Frances. Finally, land-based rawinsondes will provide measures of CAPE and helicity in the storm vicinity during and after landfall.