The Structure and Motion of Severe Hailstorms. Part I: Supercell Storms

A supercell storm was observed in detail near Grover, Colo., on 18 June 1970. The storm was observed by an S-band radar operated alternately in PPI and RHI modes. An instrumented aircraft was flown near cloud base in the updrafts, and packets of chaff were released and tracked by radar within the weak echo region. Examination of the radar data revealed a remarkable similarity between certain RHI photographs of the Grover storm and the Soviet model of a hailstorm. Comparisons among the environmental conditions observed for other supercell storms revealed certain similar characteristics. The descriptive model of supercell storms by Browning was clarified and refined based on these new observations.