Collaborative Research: Using RELAMPAGO Observations to Understand the Thermodynamic, Kinematic, and Dynamic Processes Leading to Heavy Precipitation

RELAMPAGO（带电、闪电和中尺度/微尺度过程遥感与适应性地面观测）将观测阿根廷中部安第斯山脉背风面的对流风暴。 该地区的风暴在天气和气候模型中表现不佳，在阿根廷主要城市科尔多瓦和门多萨附近的安第斯山脉背风处产生了高影响天气。RELAMPAGO将于2018年11月1日至12月15日进行为期45天的项目。 RELAMPAGO研究了卫星观测到的可能是“世界上最强烈的雷暴”，研究了产生强烈对流和伴随它们的恶劣天气的过程，包括强降水，严重的冰雹和大风以及龙卷风。 通过在与美国大平原有一些相似之处和关键差异的地区详细观察风暴，RELAMPAGO旨在为改善全球强对流风暴的预测做出贡献，包括在美国。此外，RELAMPAGO的国际协调被整合，以直接改善拉丁美洲的高影响天气预报。该项目涉及伊利诺伊大学和科罗拉多州立大学的研究人员之间的合作，以研究在该地区产生强烈对流和降水的过程。 该项目包括一个研究质量的固定和移动的雷达、大气探测和风暴过程测量网络，与其他RELAMPAGO测量（包括来自DOE ARM移动的设施-1）相配合，以表征产生暴雨的风暴的环境和内部结构。这些测量，增值产品，分析和建模活动的重点是了解风暴内部和外部的前兆和过程，以解决与阿根廷对流风暴在这个观测不足，但脆弱的地区产生暴雨有关的假设。研究活动还包括开发预测模型，这些模型对制定实地战役行动和预测规划至关重要。在阿根廷中西部的安第斯山脉背风地区产生了地球上最强烈和最有组织的对流系统。这些风暴通常在安第斯山脉和科尔多瓦山脉的复杂地形附近产生，并与之相互作用，经常产生暴雨，导致破坏性的山洪暴发。RELAMPAGO（带电，闪电和中尺度/微尺度过程的遥感与自适应地面观测）现场活动，从2018年11月1日至12月15日，旨在提供全面的剖面，表面和遥感数据集与固定和移动的平台，能够表征热力学，运动学，对流风暴及其附近的微物理测量。在这个项目中，NCAR S-PolKa双频双偏振，双波长S和Ka波段雷达，一个车轮上的多普勒X波段雷达网络，频繁的探测，表面热力学，运动学和微物理测量，以及来自NCAR水汽差分吸收激光雷达（WVDIAL）平台的连续水汽剖面，与RELAMPAGO的其他测量一起，用于描述产生暴雨的风暴的环境和内部结构。这些测量、增值产品、分析和建模活动的重点是了解对流风暴内外的前兆和过程，以解决与阿根廷对流风暴在这个观测不足但脆弱的地区产生暴雨有关的假设。领导研究活动和配置预测模型，这对制定实地活动和预测规划至关重要，并在活动期间为RELAMPAGO教育和外联活动做出贡献。

RELAMPAGO (Remote sensing of Electrification, Lightning, And Mesoscale/microscale Processes with Adaptive Ground Observations) will observe convective storms in the lee of the Andes Mountains in central Argentina. Storms in this region are poorly represented by weather and climate models and produce high impact weather in the lee of the Andes mountains in Argentina near the major cities of Cordoba and Mendoza. RELAMPAGO will be a 45-day project from 1 November - 15 December 2018. RELAMPAGO examines what are perhaps the "world's most intense thunderstorms" per satellite observations, studying the processes that generate intense convection and severe weather that accompanies them, including heavy precipitation, severe hail and winds, and tornadoes. By observing storms with new tools and techniques in detail in a region that has some similarities and key differences with the US Great Plains, RELAMPAGO is designed to make contributions to improve prediction of severe convective storms globally, including in the US. In addition, RELAMPAGO's international coordination is integrated to directly improve high impact weather prediction in Latin America. This project involves a collaboration between researchers at the University of Illinois and Colorado State University to study the processes that generate intense convection and precipitation in this region. The project includes a network of research-quality fixed and mobile radars, atmospheric soundings, and storm process measurements in concert with other RELAMPAGO measurements (including from the DOE ARM Mobile Facility-1) to characterize the environment and internal structure of heavy-rain-producing storms. These measurements, value-added products, analyses, and modeling activities are focused on understanding the precursors and processes within and external to the storms to address hypotheses on relevant to heavy rainfall production in Argentinean convective storms in this poorly observed, yet vulnerable region. Research activities also include developing forecast models that are crucial for developing the field campaign operations and forecast planning. Contributions include RELAMPAGO education and outreach activities.The region of the lee of the Andes mountains in west-central Argentina generates some of the most intense and organized convective systems on earth. These storms, initiated commonly near, and interacting with the complex terrain of the Andes and Sierras de Córdoba, produce frequent heavy rainfall that is known to lead to damaging flash floods. The RELAMPAGO (Remote sensing of Electrification, Lightning, And Mesoscale/microscale Processes with Adaptive Ground Observations) field campaign, from 1 November to 15 December 2018, is designed to provide a comprehensive array of profiling, surface, and remote sensing datasets with fixed and mobile platforms capable of characterizing the evolution of thermodynamic, kinematic, and microphysical measurements in and near convective storms on fine time and space scales. In this project, the NCAR S-PolKa dual-frequency dual-polarization, dual-wavelength S- and Ka-band radar, a network of Doppler on Wheels X-Band radars, frequent soundings, surface thermodynamic, kinematic, and microphysical measurements, and continuous water vapor profiling from the NCAR Water Vapor DIfferential Absorption Lidar (WVDIAL) platform, in concert with other RELAMPAGO measurements are used to characterize the environment and internal structure of heavy-rain-producing storms. These measurements, value-added products, analyses, and modeling activities focus on understanding the precursors and processes within and external to the convective storms to address hypotheses on relevant to heavy rainfall production in Argentinean convective storms in this poorly observed, yet vulnerable region. Leadership in research activities and configure forecast models that are crucial for developing the field campaign operations and forecast planning, as well as contributions to the RELAMPAGO education and outreach activities during the campaign are undertaken.