High-frequency dual-Doppler analysis of a retrograding dryline/baroclinic boundary intersection

Two recently-developed Texas Tech University Ka band (TTUKa) radars were deployed during the second field campaign of The Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes EXperiment 2 (VORTEX2). Using a non-linear pulse compression technique coupled with a high transmit frequency (~35 GHz), the TTUKa radars are designed to prioritize resolution (both spatially and temporally) and sensitivity. The high sensitivity allows for robust sampling of clear air boundaries including drylines and other mesoscale air mass boundaries.

On 14 June 2010 a westward retreating dryline interacted with a southward propagating outflow boundary and quasi-stationary preexisting baroclinic boundary. The interaction between the dryline and these boundaries produced sustained deep moist convection for several hours that reinforced the southward propagating air mass.

Between 0200 and 0300 UTC the two TTUKa radars collected PPIs and RHIs of the triple point of the air masses east of Amarillo, Texas. The TTUKa radars sampled the intersection between these two air masses with a baseline and range of 8 km. Dual Doppler analysis of the triple point and the surrounding air masses will be presented revealing the finescale structure and evolution of the triple point. Other kinematic variables including convergence and vorticity will be related to the evolution of vertical velocity in the triple point region. RHIs will be presented to show the vertical structure of the triple point.