Investigating the Termination of the Bright Band in Mid-Latitude Cyclones

The bright band, a characteristic feature of precipitation radar reflectivity profiles, is a layer of enhanced radar reflectivity that occurs near the melting level. This research aims to investigate the termination of the bright band in mid-latitude cyclones using a combination of radar observations, numerical modeling, and ground verification. Observations show that the bright band will often remain 2-3 km above the surface, and then terminate abruptly without descending to the surface at the position of the transition from rain, freezing rain, or ice pellets to snow at the surface. The reason for the abrupt termination is explored using radar data collected from the ER-2 aircraft during the NASA IMPACTs project as well as output from the RAP model analysis and ground data from ASOS and other ground stations. The results of this study will contribute to a better understanding of the behavior of the bright band in winter time mid-latitude cyclones and its implications for precipitation estimation and weather forecasting.