Observational and Numerical Analysis of the 24–25 June 2015 Mesoscale Convective System During PECAN

On 24-25 June, 2015 the Plains Elevated Convection at Night (PECAN) field campaign observed a mesoscale convective system (MCS) in an elevated convective environment that produced very heavy rainfall but only an isolated region of marginally severe winds. Earlier that day, two MCSs swept through the same region, but the convection that eventually organized into the MCS of interest here initiated around 2300 UTC in west central Iowa and grew upscale over the next few hours, becoming more organized around sunset (~0200 UTC). One of the numerous datasets collected during this event includes high frequency soundings from a fixed location, providing high temporal vertical profiles of the MCS as it passed through the location. Additional, less frequent soundings were launched by Mobile PECAN Integrated Sounding Array (MPISA) groups throughout the event, including soundings very near regions of echo-training/backbuilding. Analysis of the 24-25 June MCS will include examination of the evolution of the environmental soundings throughout the various stages of the MCS passage. Additionally, Weather Research and Forecasting Advanced Research WRF (WRF-ARW) simulations of the event will be compared to similar analyses for surface-based convection. Initial sounding analysis indicates rapid destabilization as convective inhibition (CIN) dropped over 100 J/Kg in under 2 hours and most unstable convective available potential energy (MUCAPE) increased over 2100 J/kg over the 4.5 hours leading up to the leading edge of the convective line.