S85
Evolution of a tornadic supercell and its environment sampled by the Phased Array Radar and Oklahoma City Micronet
Rick Hluchan, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK; and P. L. Heinselman
Both the National Weather Radar Testbed Phased Array Radar (NWRT PAR) and the Oklahoma City Micronet (OKCNET) sampled a cyclic, tornadic supercell on 10 February 2009 as it moved northeast across the western sides of Oklahoma City. The evolution of this supercell and its surrounding environment was also the Oklahoma Mesonet. The rapid update of the PAR and the highspatial resolution of the OKCNET, collected near a high–population center, make this a unique event. Preliminary low–level analysis (0.51º elevation scans) of these data show the storm exhibited cyclic tornadogenesis; two cycles of the supercell were examined in this study. After the tornado associated with the first cycle lifted, a new circulation formed along a bulge in the rear flank gust front. During both cycles of the supercell, an area of precipitation formed southeast of the hook echo and moved north within the storm's inflow. Shortly after (~1 min) the area of precipitation merged with the hook echo in both cycles, the circulation intensified and a tornado was produced. Additional analyses will assess the midlevels of the supercell as well as examine a comparison of the cyclic nature of this supercell and other studies containing high–temporal and spatial resolution data.
Poster Session , Student Poster Session
Sunday, 17 January 2010, 5:30 PM-7:00 PM, Exhibit Hall B2
Previous paper Next paper