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  • Lightning and Radar Measures of Mixed-Phase Updraft Variability in Tracked Storms during the TRACER Field Campaign in Houston, Texas

This content will become publicly available on December 1, 2025

Title: Lightning and Radar Measures of Mixed-Phase Updraft Variability in Tracked Storms during the TRACER Field Campaign in Houston, Texas
Abstract Properties of 7488 thunderstorms are summarized for June–September 2022 during the Tracking Aerosol Convection Interactions Experiment (TRACER) field campaign Houston, Texas, using polarimetric weather radar and VHF 3D Lightning Mapping Array data. Automated tracking of storms linked each instrument’s measurements to a data-defined, time-evolving storm footprint. Within each storm, the depth and magnitude of episodic columns of radar differential reflectivity and specific differential phase quantified the prevalence of updrafts that activated mixed-phase precipitation pathways. Lightning measurements further distinguished the degree of rimed precipitation formation: the fraction of tracks with lightning varied from day to day and cells with lightning had stronger polarimetric columns. Track-level correlation of the lightning flash rate with radar polarimetric measures had substantial spread, showing that lightning provides an additional signal of mixed-phase precipitation processes that can complement future studies of thermodynamic and aerosol controls on cloud microphysics in the Houston region.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2019939
PAR ID:
10566811
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
American Meteorological Society
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Monthly Weather Review
Volume:
152
Issue:
12
ISSN:
0027-0644
Page Range / eLocation ID:
2753 to 2769
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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