Preliminary Results for VORTEX-SE 2017: Improving Radar Wind Retrievals in Potentially Tornadic Storms in the Southeast United States

Using multi-Doppler and in situ data gathered from the 2017 field phase of the VORTEX-SE project, we will present our preliminary findings regarding the refinement of radar analysis techniques employed in such areas of complex terrain and vegetation characteritsic of the Southeast U.S.

Although multiple-Doppler radar three-dimensional wind retrievals are a common tool for severe storm analysis, few examples have been presented from cases examined in the Southeastern U.S. Accurate multiple-Doppler radar wind retrievals require quantification of wind shear below the lowest matched radar scan elevation (often ~100- 300 m AGL even in high-density research deployments). Multiple-Doppler wind retrievals in severe storms, which can contain intense horizontal convergence and updrafts near the ground, often are performed for storms targeted in relatively flat and vegetation-free regions of the Plains. Extrapolation assumptions that are error prone even in these relatively flat conditions are more problematic in areas with more complex terrain and varied vegetation. We will present preliminary analyses of our work thus far to refine 3D wind retrieval techniques that incorporate lower boundary conditions representative of complex or sloped terrain and also integrate surface instrumentation to improve the accuracy of retrieved 3D wind solutions.