VORTEX 2 (Version 3.0) VORTEX2 domain multiple ground bases Approved for 2009-10 Sioux City www.vortex2.org for updates Boulder NCAR Steering committee: CSWR Hays Howie Bluestein, OU Don Burgess, CIMMS Norman NSSL David Dowell, NCAR OU Paul Markowski, PSU Lub b o c k Erik Rasmussen, CIMMS Yvette Richardson, PSU Lou Wicker, NSSL Joshua Wurman, CSWR Rapid-Scan DOW SMART-Radar UAV DOW NOXP (XPOL) W-Band Fig. 3.2 RECUV UAV being readied for flight. A variety of instruments, focusing on mesoscale observations, radar, and direct T, RH, wind (others likely to be proposed too) Probes Sticknet DOWs Mesonets Tethered pre-storm Tethered Phase, in OK K V N 4/1-5/10 X KT Takes advantage of LX stationary assets like the Norman Phased-Array 0 25 km CASA, etc. N K O U (fixed radars not shown in order to improve clarity) K F WSR-88D dual- NWRT-PAR CASA mobile radar D coverage polarimetric coverage at X-band radar coverage at stick net R at 1 km AGL WSR-88D 1 km AGL coverage at 250 m AGL Oklahoma coverage 250 m AGL Studies larger mesoscale at 1 km AGL TDWR fixed site mobile Texas coverage at Oklahoma Ft. Cobb Little Washita rawinsonde rawinsonde 250 m AGL mesonet ARS micronet ARS micronet 0 50 100 km site ASOS wind profiler mobile mesonet UAV Cell merger precipitation gust front K supercell forward flank region V N X anvil edge KT LX precipitation gust front 0 5km K O U N (radars not shown in order to improve clarity) K F WSR-88D dual- NWRT-PAR CASA mobile radar D coverage polarimetric coverage at X-band radar coverage at stick net at 1 km AGL WSR-88D 1 km AGL coverage at R 250 m AGL Oklahoma coverage 250 m AGL at 1 km AGL TDWR fixed site mobile Texas coverage at Oklahoma Ft. Cobb Little Washita rawinsonde rawinsonde 250 m AGL mesonet ARS micronet ARS micronet 0 50 100 km site ASOS Fully Mobile Phase -105 -100 -95 -90 45 5/11-6/30 45 Roams the Plains SUX 40 BOU 40 Studies individual supercells and tornadoes HYS 35 NSSL Tethered Idealized 35 mobile mobile in-situ stick net UAV photography mesonet rawinsonde tornado Phase tornadogenesis LBB C X P R C-band mobile X-band mobile X-band mobile Rapid-scan strategy Doppler Doppler dual-polarization X-band Doppler Doppler C PHASE B DOMAIN 30 MAINTENANCE SITE 30 -100 -95 UAV flight track X R P X UAV flight track C in storm environment Typical VORTEX2 Experiments anvil edge Young Storm target storm storm motion M P storm motion target storm merging cell M M anvil edge S storm motion M S S mesoscale boundary S C Merger Figure 4.1b. Example of a deployment for observing a storm merger. Most of the platforms not shown are collecting data at other scales or from positions outside of this diagram. S R Dropsonde Storm surveillance Rapid-scan tornado in aircraft Doppler Doppler situ sensors rapidly-deployed sensor net M T ELDORA Mesocyclone Tornado finescale targeted mobile studies Doppler Doppler soundings M mesocyclone photography P Mesocyclone R UAV Dual-polarization mobile mesonet dropsonde Doppler DPC Figure 4.1a. Upper panel: example of a deployment for sampling of storm/environment interactions. Lower panel: Legend for observing system categories shown in the deployments of Figures 4.1-4.5. storm motion P RFD gust front M S Figure 4.3. Example of a deployment near a mesocyclone. All of the platforms not shown are collecting data at other scales or from positions outside of this diagram. A Busy VORTEX2 Afternoon (Radars only: ~30 other vehicles not shown) Mesocyclone Developing Hook Forming Tornadogenesis anvil edge M M target storm mesocyclone storm motion R R T tornado M main updraft T inflow region M M storm motion storm motion R P P P M T S S S S S S Figure 4.6. Time 1. Figure 4.7. Time 2. Figure 4.8. Time 3. Mature Tornado Cyclic Tornadogenesis Storm Dissipation, New Storm Forming ordinary thunderstorm storm motion M M T remnant vortex M R tornado R T M T P S R M M P S potential supercell storm motion storm motion P S S S S Figure 4.9. Time 4. Figure 4.10. Time 5. Figure 4.11. Time 6..