Supercell-Environment Interactions Observed by MPEX and Mini-MPEX

The Mesoscale Predictability Experiment (MPEX) in 2013 and Mini-MPEX in 2016 used mobile soundings to observe the preconvective and near-storm environments of springtime Great Plains convection.  Together, the projects collected well over 100 soundings in supercell inflow environments.  A brief synopsis of Mini-MPEX upsonde operations, which exclusively targeted supercells, is presented.  Characteristics of observed tornadic and nontornadic supercell inflow are summarized.  Unusual cases, including low-precipitation supercells that failed to mature in seemingly favorable environments, are described.  Mini-MPEX obtained near-simultaneous pairs of soundings in the near and far inflow of several supercells, following the storms and sampling changes over several hours when possible.  Storm-induced changes to the inflow environment and temporal evolution of the inflow are discussed for these cases.