Extended Abstract (328K)J3.3
Some inferences on the visual cloud and the supercell radar echo relationship
Leslie R. Lemon, Basic Commerce & Industries, Inc., Independence,, MO; and E. M. Quoetone
Beginning with Browning and Donaldson (1962) and many others to follow, the supercell radar structure has been well established. In parallel for the last 30 years supercell visual observations have been made through both amateur and professional scientific field photographs and movies/videos. Much has been learned and continues to be learned through both of these differing observation sets. Moreover, both platforms are continually being improved, for example by the introduction of the phased array Doppler radar (for research purposes) and the visual technology via digital photography. But surprisingly these two complimentary data sets have only rarely been combined to elucidate interrelationships. Here we attempt to do this. We begin by reviewing the radar supercell storm structure model and relating it to the storm dynamics. These dynamics are then related to visual cloud interpretation principals and these principals to cloud structure and radar interpretation. The result is that we attempt to interrelate and compare the radar – visual cloud observations pointing out the radar counterpart to visual storm structures and vice versa. Features we emphasize include the Weak Echo Region, the Bounded Weak Echo Region, the storm summit, and to an extent other updraft and downdraft related cloud and echo structures.
Joint Session 3, Severe weather (Joint Between the 31st Conference on Radar Meteorology and the 32nd Conference on Broadcast Meteorology)
Sunday, 10 August 2003, 8:00 AM-10:00 AM
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