The HIAPER Cloud Radar Performance and Observations During Winter Storm Observations of a Nor'easter

The HIAPER Cloud Radar (HCR) is an airborne, W-band, dual-polarimetric, Doppler research radar designed to fit into a large under-wing pod, which is flown on the National Center for Atmospheric Research Gulftream V High-Performance Instrumented Airborne Platform for Environmental Research, (HIAPER) aircraft. The HCR can also be deployed on a different aircraft that can host the wing pod and on the ground pointing zenith. The HCR was recently deployed on its first scientific mission to study a winter storm in the project named Nor'easter. The goal of Nor'easter was improve the understanding of the mechanisms that produce and organize winter cyclones impacting high density population centers of the Northeast US and Canada. Nor'easter was a fast-response project in which the HIAPER was kept at its base in Colorado until the decision was made to deploy based on the weather forecast. On 2 February, 2015 the HCR-equipped HIAPER aircraft flew 6 transects between eastern Pennsylvania and eastern Maine over a period of about 7 hours observing a snowstorm. The transects were located along a single track to observe the storm as it moved through the domain.

The high resolution (19 m in range) HCR observations of fine scale features - including generating cells, wave structures, fall streaks, and boundary layer structures - revealed a surprising amount of complexity in the stratiform precipitation associated with the storm. The HCR and its capabilities, the Nor'easter fast-response deployment, data quality procedures and some data examples will be presented.