THOR

Tornado and Hazardous weather (Hurricane) Observations and Research

Background on funding

• NOAA funded – FY 2006 (start 8/1/06) for two years – FY 2007 (start 8/1/07) for two years – FY 2008 is going through the systems – FY 2009 is lined up

1.

2.

3.

4.

THOR Activities

Interactions between UAH and NOAA (NSSL, NWS) Infrastructure enhancement ARMOR upgrade (Fall 2006) Parsivel disdrometers (Dec. 2006) MAX (Nov. 2007) MAX enhancements (2008) Research (severe and hazardous weather) End to End is the goal Tornadoes Squall lines; cool season bow echoes Convective Initiation; lightning initiation Relation between lightning and severe storms Landfalling tropical cyclones QPE (wide variety) Atmospheric Technology Mobile instrumentation collaboration (targeted obs) Longer term with NOAA/NSSL and OU

THOR personnel

• PI level – Knupp, Mecikalski, Petersen, Cecil, Carey • Research Associates: 3 • Graduate students – 9 directly funded – About the same number funded by other sources

About 30 individuals are working in the general area of mesoscale meteorology

Infrastructure improvements during last 15 months (FY 06 funds)

• Parsivel disdrometers (Dec. 2006) • ARMOR upgrade (Oct. 2006) • Mobile Alabama X-band (MAX) dual pol radar (Nov. 2007)

Gravity Wave/Mesocyclone Interactions

•

Gravity waves can cause rapid changes in local shear and helicity

• Paper to be submitted to

Wea. Forecasting.

in Nov 2007 • Example case: 2 Feb 2006

Gravity Wave/Mesocyclone Interactions

•Gravity waves can produce rapid variations in the wind profile •Example case: 10 May 2006 KHTX

Gravity Wave/Mesocyclone Interactions

•

Interactions between ducted gravity waves and mesocyclones appear to enhance the rotation within mesocyclones

• Careful analysis may show that the F5 Birmingham tornado of 8 April 1998 was enhanced by interaction with an undular bore; manuscript submitted to Mon. Wea. Rev.

Outreach activities

• “Gravity Wave Tour”– Explaining gravity waves and their impacts on operational meteorology to NWS and TV forecasters • 5 presentations so far to NWS, Weather Channel, RFC • Plans for up to 7 more in 2008

Atmospheric technology

• Ground-based passive microwave remote sensing of high-impact weather • Precip estimation with dual pol radar

Cold front of 16 March 2007

Squall line and wake low event of 8 June 2007

Use of THOR for additional leveraging: NSF Mid-Size Infrastructure proposal • Aerosols -- clouds -- precipitation • $4-4.5 M proposal • MAX-W (or MAX-K one dish) a ) – X and W-band dual pol, dual frequency radar (dual freq feed, – Ceilometer – Profiling radiometer – PR radiometer suite (89 GHz, 37 GHz, 19 GHz) • MIPS enhancements: – New 35 Channel microwave radiometer – W-band vertical pointing cloud radar – New ceilometer – Scanning Doppler lidar for low-level wind and aerosol profiles • Mobile Doppler wind lidar (1.61  m)