Pressure Signatures of Extreme Weather Events Deduced from Earthscope's USArray Network

Pressure perturbations are associated with a wide variety of atmospheric phenomena at all relevant scales. Inclusive in these are synoptic-scale cyclogenesis events, mesoscale convective systems (i.e. bow echoes, mesohighs, wake lows, etc.), and inertia gravity waves. This study aims to categorize the frequency of pressure perturbations associated with these types of events using observations from the Earthscope US Transportable Array (USArray) network. The USArray contains over 400 active stations currently located over the eastern continental United States. Stations are semi-uniformly spaced about 70 km apart, deployed at a location for approximately two years, then moved to the eastern edge of the network for redeployment. The stations were outfitted in 2010 while over the Central Plains with pressure sensors capable of providing observations at a frequency of 1 Hz.

Time series data for each station in the USArray were filtered to identify perturbations of interest on the synoptic and mesoscale temporal periods. Frequencies of perturbations per year are generated as a function of magnitude, time of day, and season for each station. Further, individual case studies of extreme weather events with large perturbations were also conducted and displayed.