Analysis of heavy snowband dynamics using ELDORA and WSR-88D measurements

The Snowband Dynamics Project, conducted in December and January of 1997-98, was designed to obtain measurements of the kinematic and thermodynamic structure of heavy snowbands in the northwest quadrant of extratropical cyclones. During the project, high-resolution measurements of wind and thermodynamic fields were obtained with the ELDORA airborne dual-Doppler system and dropsondes in two cyclones that produced heavy snowfall. One aircraft mission included six passes across heavy snowbands from the dry slot over central Indiana to the northern edge of the band in Michigan. In another case, the flight track extended from the northernmost edge of the dry slot to the edge of the heavy snow region in Wisconsin, crossing the rain-snow line. In this paper, we will 1) present results of the ELDORA analyses, focusing on the dual-Doppler retrieval of the kinematic fields within the snowbands, and 2) interpret these data in the context of simultaneous WSR-88D radar measurements, high-resolution dropsonde measurements, synoptic scale observations and MM5 model simulations.