Precipitating convective cloud downdraft structure: a synthesis of observations and modeling

1985 Spring.Includes bibliographical references (pages 249-264).Original is missing pages 241, 261, and 277.This study represents a comprehensive investigation in which observations are integrated with three-dimensional cloud model results to examine the kinematic, dynamic and thermodynamic structure of downdrafts associated with precipitating convection. One particular downdraft type, the low-level precipitation-associated downdraft, is investigated in considerable detail. It is shown that this downdraft exhibits significant structural, dynamic and thermodynamic properties which differ appreciably from other independent downdrafts within precipitating convective clouds. General airflow and trajectory patterns within low-level downdrafts are typically convergent from ~0.8 km upwards to downdraft top, typically less than 5 km AGL. Observed mass flux profiles often increase rapidly with decreasing height as a result of strong buoyancy forcing below the melting level. Such patterns indicate that strong cooling by melting and evaporation within statically unstable low levels generates low perturbation pressure by virtue of buoyantly-induced pressure perturbations. Cloud model results verify this process and indicate that pressure perturbations are strongest during downdraft developing stages. Maximum modeled pressure reductions up to 2 mb are located within downdrafts and precipitation about 0.6 km below the 273 K level approximately 10 min after heavy precipitation (˃ 2 g kg¯¹) enters low levels. The magnitude of this buoyantly-produced pressure reduction is influenced by temperature, static stability, relative humidity and precipitation characteristics. Model results and related calculations indicate that cooling provides the impetus for downdraft formation. Melting, in particular is generally found to make significant contribution to total cooling in cases having relatively shallow (˂ 2 km) PBL. Cooling by evaporation becomes increasingly important as PBL depth increases. Inflow to the low-level downdraft, although vertically continuous, can be separated into two branches. The up-down branch originating within the PBL initially rises up to 4 km and then descends within the main precipitation downdraft. The midlevel branch, most pronounced during early downdraft stages, originates from above the PBL and transports low-valued ϴₑ to low levels. Pressure forces important along both branches act to lift stable air along the up-down branch, and provide downward forcing of positively-buoyant air in the upper regions of both branches. Two primary conclusions are drawn from the results of this study: (1) Downdrafts are driven at low levels within regions of strong static instability by strong cooling provided by melting and evaporation. Cloud level entrainment effects make secondary contributions. (2) Precipitation size and phase (e.g. melting) are probably the most important controlling parameters for downdraft strength.Sponsored by National Science Foundation - ATM-7908297 - ATM-8113082 - ATM-8312077.Sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration - NSF-5341.Sponsored by Air Force Geophysics Laboratory - F19628-84-C-0005

The 2015 Plains Elevated Convection at Night Field Project

The central Great Plains region in North America has a nocturnal maximum in warm-season precipitation. Much of this precipitation comes from organized mesoscale convective systems (MCSs). This nocturnal maximum is counterintuitive in the sense that convective activity over the Great Plains is out of phase with the local generation of CAPE by solar heating of the surface. The lower troposphere in this nocturnal environment is typically characterized by a low-level jet (LLJ) just above a stable boundary layer (SBL), and convective available potential energy (CAPE) values that peak above the SBL, resulting in convection that may be elevated, with source air decoupled from the surface. Nocturnal MCS-induced cold pools often trigger undular bores and solitary waves within the SBL. A full understanding of the nocturnal precipitation maximum remains elusive, although it appears that bore-induced lifting and the LLJ may be instrumental to convection initiation and the maintenance of MCSs at night. To gain insight into nocturnal MCSs, their essential ingredients, and paths toward improving the relatively poor predictive skill of nocturnal convection in weather and climate models, a large, multiagency field campaign called Plains Elevated Convection At Night (PECAN) was conducted in 2015. PECAN employed three research aircraft, an unprecedented coordinated array of nine mobile scanning radars, a fixed S-band radar, a unique mesoscale network of lower-tropospheric profiling systems called the PECAN Integrated Sounding Array (PISA), and numerous mobile-mesonet surface weather stations. The rich PECAN dataset is expected to improve our understanding and prediction of continental nocturnal warm-season precipitation. This article provides a summary of the PECAN field experiment and preliminary findings

A Low Precipitation Supercell over the Southeast US: A Case Study

On 28 March 1997 a low precipitation supercell storm was observed 125 km east of Memphis, TN. The storm exhibited a visual appearance similar to that of Great Plains low precipitation (LP) supercells while it was being video typed for 35 min. beginning at 2335 UTC. While the storm produced hailstones up to 4.5 cm in diameter, and had a 4 hour lifetime, tornadoes were absent. However, over 20 tornadoes were produced in Kentucky and Tennessee (TN) by other thunderstorms during that afternoon and evening. The purpose of this paper is to document this LP supercell that occurred in the Southeastern US. To the authors' knowledge an LP storm has not yet been documented in the Southeastern US. This paper presents a detailed overview of the LP supercell, including synoptic conditions, radar observations, lightning data and visual observations of the storm

The 2015 Plains Elevated Convection At Night field project

The article of record as published may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-15-00257.1The PECAN field campaign assembled a rich array of observations from lower-tropospheric profiling systems, mobile radars and mesonets, and aircraft over the Great Plains during June–July 2015 to better understand nocturnal mesoscale convective systems and their relationship with the stable boundary layer, the low-level jet, and atmospheric bores.National Science Foundation (NSF)AGS-1327695 (NSF)AGS-1359726 (NSF)AGS-1359645 (NSF)AGS-1359606 (NSF)AGS-1359098 (NSF)AGS-1359771 (NSF)AGS-1442054 (NSF)ATM-1359703 (NSF)AGS-1359720 (NSF)AGS-1359698 (NSF)AGS-136237 (NSF)AGS-1237404 (NSF)AGS-1359723 (NSF

The 2015 Plains Elevated Convection at Night Field Project

The central Great Plains region in North America has a nocturnal maximum in warm-season precipitation. Much of this precipitation comes from organized mesoscale convective systems (MCSs). This nocturnal maximum is counterintuitive in the sense that convective activity over the Great Plains is out of phase with the local generation of CAPE by solar heating of the surface. The lower troposphere in this nocturnal environment is typically characterized by a low-level jet (LLJ) just above a stable boundary layer (SBL), and convective available potential energy (CAPE) values that peak above the SBL, resulting in convection that may be elevated, with source air decoupled from the surface. Nocturnal MCS-induced cold pools often trigger undular bores and solitary waves within the SBL. A full understanding of the nocturnal precipitation maximum remains elusive, although it appears that bore-induced lifting and the LLJ may be instrumental to convection initiation and the maintenance of MCSs at night. To gain insight into nocturnal MCSs, their essential ingredients, and paths toward improving the relatively poor predictive skill of nocturnal convection in weather and climate models, a large, multiagency field campaign called Plains Elevated Convection At Night (PECAN) was conducted in 2015. PECAN employed three research aircraft, an unprecedented coordinated array of nine mobile scanning radars, a fixed S-band radar, a unique mesoscale network of lower-tropospheric profiling systems called the PECAN Integrated Sounding Array (PISA), and numerous mobile-mesonet surface weather stations. The rich PECAN dataset is expected to improve our understanding and prediction of continental nocturnal warm-season precipitation. This article provides a summary of the PECAN field experiment and preliminary findings.This article is published as Geerts, Bart, David Parsons, Conrad L. Ziegler, Tammy M. Weckwerth, Michael I. Biggerstaff, Richard D. Clark, Michael C. Coniglio et al. "The 2015 Plains Elevated Convection at Night Field Project." Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 98, no. 4 (2017): 767-786. DOI: 10.1175/BAMS-D-15-00257.1. Posted with permission.</p