The International H2O Project (IHOP_2002) field experiment was designed to study the complex 4-D structure of water vapor and its relation to the wind field. One component of this project was the study of the initiation of deep moist convection. Data collection for this component was accomplished predominantly by an armada of ground and airborne vehicles, including mobile Doppler radars, with the goal of establishing a region of high-resolution observations and capturing convective initiation within that region.

On 19 June 2002, two Doppler on Wheels (DOW) radars and the XPOL radar, along with the rest of the mobile armada, collected high-resolution data on a boundary near Colby, KS. Convection initiated along this boundary and subsequently moved ahead of it. The boundary was characterized by rather intense misocyclones associated with dust devils and enhanced reflectivity. Dual-Doppler analyses reveal the relation between the vorticity and vertical velocity fields along the boundary. We will use these analyses, along with thermodynamic data and satellite data, to relate the initiation of convection to these boundary features.