Doppler Weather Radar for Profiling And Mapping Winds in the Prestorm Environment

Doppler radars (10 cm) used in weather research are shown to be capable of mapping the kinematic structure of the prestorm convective boundary layer (CBL) to 100-km ranges. Zones of convergence, mapped by Doppler radar, preceded by hours the development of a single thunderstorm. Next generation operational weather radars are now being designed that will have similar capabilities if Doppler is part of this design. Furthermore, data from models and radars operating at other wavelengths suggest that 10-cm radars have the potential to obtain vertical profiles of the wind throughout the troposphere when the 5-cm scales of turbulence are within the inertial subrange. Three modes of weather radar operation are suggested: 1) wind profiling to obtain the vertical distribution of horizontal and vertical motions of air; 2) mapping winds, divergence, and deformation in the prestorm CBL; and 3) storm surveillance and warning.