Ground-based remotely sensed high temporal-resolution stability indices associated with southern Great Plains tornado outbreaks

Historically most climatologies of the pre-tornadic environment have focused only on early morning or late afternoon synoptic time observations. The enhanced temporal resolution of the combined Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 404 MHz wind profiler observations used in this study allow for a unique analysis of both atmospheric stability and stability trends near tornadic storms. From 1999 through 2003, AERI systems were collocated with NOAA wind profilers at five sites in Oklahoma and Kansas, creating a large dataset of atmospheric soundings closely before convective events. The AERI, a passive ground-based infrared radiometer, is capable of retrieving boundary layer profiles of temperature and moisture at a temporal resolution of better than 10 minutes. When united with wind profilers, thermodynamic state and wind shear data can be combined to produce diurnal stability information not available from conventional synoptic radiosonde launches. An overview of this research and recent progress will be presented.