Rapid-Scan Radar Observations of Two QLCSs during the PERiLS 2023 Field Campaign

During March and April 2023, the University of Oklahoma Rapid X-band Polarimetric radar (RaXPol) deployed in support of the Propagation, Evolution, and Rotation in Linear Storms (PERiLS) field campaign to collect detailed, targeted observations of quasi-linear convective systems (QLCSs) and mesovortices in coordination with other observing platforms. Two QLCSs were sampled by RaXPol during two intensive operating periods (IOPs) on 3 March 2023 and 5 April 2023 with 30-s volume scans. On 3 March 2023, PERiLS deployed on a severe QLCS with multiple mesovortices in eastern Arkansas. RaXPol collected close-range observations of a nontornadic mesovortex during this IOP, with NSSL mobile Mesonets performing coordinated transects ahead of and behind the mesovortex. Single-Doppler observations from RaXPol will be analyzed with surface in situ measurements from the mobile Mesonets to relate low-level radar-observed processes to near-surface kinematic and thermodynamic characteristics. PERiLS deployed on another QLCS in northeastern Arkansas on 5 April 2023. During this IOP, RaXPol collected coordinated observations with the Stony Brook University SKYLER-II mobile phased array radar to obtain a rapid-scan dual-Doppler dataset. While no persistent mesovortices were captured within the dual-Doppler analysis area, several notable features were captured, including the southern end of a bowing segment. Multiple transient vortices were also captured in single-Doppler observations from both radars. This rapid-scan dual-Doppler dataset presents a novel opportunity to analyze the 3-D structure and low-level processes within a nontornadic QLCS. Preliminary results from single-Doppler analyses will be presented, along with a summary of planned future analyses using these datasets.