Investigation of the Storm Dynamics Associated with the 25 April 2011 and 23 May 2011 Cases from MC3E

The Mid-latitude Continental Convective Cloud Experiment (MC3E) in 2011 provided an unprecedented opportunity to study storm dynamics and microphysics from various measurement platforms. The field campaign included a large network of ground instruments, an array of radars over a spectrum of wavelengths for remote sensing of clouds and precipitation, and in situ aircraft measurements. This diverse set of instrumentation is used to examine two cases, 25 April 2011 and 23 May 2011. The 25 April case is characterized by large swaths of big drops (> 5 mm) observed by both the 2D Video Disdrometers (2DVD) and multi-wavelength polarimetric precipitation radars located around the Southern Great Plains site. The 23 May case is characterized by numerous supercells, with at least one confirmed tornado. Storm dynamics are examined using dual-Doppler methods to investigate the three-dimensional wind flow, as well as statistics of vertical motions associated with these two very different cases. Data from two X-band Scanning ARM Precipitation Radars (SAPR's) are combined with ARM's C-band C-SAPR data in order to expand the aerial coverage of multi-Doppler retrievals. Vertical wind retrievals will be compared with both profiler observations and measurements from the HIWRAP instrument flown on the NASA ER-2. Comparisons with these other measurements will help to define uncertainties in the multiple-Doppler retrieval techniques. Storm kinematics will be placed in a larger context with the microphysics to look at possible influences of aerosol loading and environmental factors leading to the development and evolution of these precipitation events. Preliminary analysis shows the 23 May case may have been associated with increased aerosols. We will examine possible influences of aerosols on maximum updraft speed, lightning flash rate, and graupel production.