PECAN (Plains Elevated Convection At Night): Overview and First Impressions

The PECAN (Plains Elevated Convection at Night) field campaign will take place in the central Great Plains during summer 2015. Nocturnal precipitation from isolated storms and mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) are primary contributors to rainfall in the region whereas forecast skill is rather low. Nocturnal convection occurs in the presence of a low-level jet and a stable boundary layer with the most unstable air and the minimum in convective inhibition often elevated off the ground. These conditions, together with bores and other wave-like features, add to the complexity of understanding and predicting nocturnal storms. PECAN seeks to improve forecast skill through advancing knowledge regarding the i) evolution and intensity of the nocturnal low-level jet and its relationship to nocturnal convection, ii) initiation of nocturnal convective events, iii) dynamics and microphysics of nocturnal MCSs and iv) inherent role of bores and associated stable layer responses in the initiation, evolution and structure of these nocturnal storms. A multi-agency collaboration between NSF, NASA, NOAA and DOE will provide funding for >100 mobile and fixed instruments and three research aircraft, including fixed, mobile and airborne radars. This paper will give an overview of PECAN and provide some first impressions.