The Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies (CIMMS), with support provided by the WSR-88D Radar Operations Center (ROC), seeks to improve warnings of severe thunderstorms through development of regional mesocyclone climatology based on WSR-88D data. Doppler radar mesocyclone signatures are indicative of thunderstorm rotations and high likelihood of tornado formation. While mesocyclones have been studied for more than two decades, climatological studies have covered only small regions for limited periods. The intent of this project is to develop regional mesocyclone climatology for a significant portion of the Southern Great Plains using data streams from several WSR-88D radar's analyzed in real time over a period of at least one year. This effort will lay the groundwork for development of a mesocyclone climatology for the United States that can be used as guidance in operational training materials.
Recent efforts by the Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms (CAPS), working in partnership with the OSF and the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL), have resulted in the base (Level II) data streams from six WSR-88D radar's (view map) being available to the Norman weather research community in real time. The availability of these data streams presents a unique opportunity to extend and refine the climatology of mesocyclones and attendant severe weather. For more information on this partnership visit CAPS's Collaborative Radar Acquisition Field Test (CRAFT) site.
The mesocyclone detection algorithms developed by OSF and NSSL will be adapted and extended to the processing of the data streams from these six radar's. Experiments will be conducted on detection of the onset of rotation, extension of rotations through the storm, and (in severe cases) the appearance of tornado vortex signatures. Initial development and prototype work will likely be done with archived data, but the goal will be to develop tools that will allow processing and compositing of the data streams as they are received. This work will provide a foundation for establishment of a national climatology in the future when base data from the national research network of WSR-88D's becomes more readily available. The project results will be summarized in research notes and reports, and published in the open scientific literature.
There have beenMaintained by: Kevin McGrath
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