Dual-Wavelength Polarimetric Radar Analysis of the 20 May 2013 Moore, OK, Tornado

The 20 May 2013 Moore Oklahoma, Tornado was rated as an EF-5 on the Enhanced Fujita scale. Its destructive display of power claimed the lives of 24 people that laid in its path as well as further impacting the local population with damaging winds, large hail and billions of dollars in damage. Because of the tornado’s close proximity to multiple radars in the Oklahoma City metro, it provides an opportunity to better understand the scattering characteristics and the dynamics of tornadic debris signatures at different wavelengths. The two radars compared in this research are the PX-1000 that operates at X-band and the KCRI radar that operates at S-band. By comparing S- and X-band with histograms, box and whisker plots and plan position indicators (PPIs), differences in scattering can be seen. While comparing reflectivity, it is seen that S-band is higher than X-band. S-band exhibits more negative values of differential reflectivity as well as lower and more variable values of correlation coefficient.