Wind Profiler/RASS observations of deep convection

The results of an experiment using a 50 MHz profiler/RASS, a 920 MHz profiler and a polarimetric radar to study the vertical velocity, microphysical and thermal characteristics of deep convection is described. Results from a variety of storm systems will be shown to relate the vertical draft structure and the microphysics. This includes short lived storms with intense updrafts and copious production of large ice despite the storm tops only extending 2 km above the freezing level and a monsoonal storm with much weaker vertical motions and little evidence of mixed phase precipitation. The monsoonal storm observations included 50 MHz RASS to observe the temperature structure within the storm. The RASS echo power decreased sharply within the convection limiting the height coverage. Applications of these types of experiments include providing detailed constraints on model simulations and quantitative rainfall estimation combining profiler and weather radar data.