1. Brian J. Frugis NOAA/NWS Albany, New York NROW XIX – 7 November 2018
Using Specific Differential Phase to Predict Significant Severe Thunderstorm Wind Damage across the Northeastern United States
Brian J. Frugis
NOAA/NWS Albany, New York
NROW XIX – 7 November 2018

2. Motivation
Determining severe vs. significant severe thunderstorms can be difficult for a warning meteorologist.
This has been a challenge for NWS Albany (ALY) forecasters on several occasions during the summers of 2016 & Several significant thunderstorms were either missed or under warned.
Impact-based warnings requires the warning forecaster to have specific knowledge of wind speeds & damage potential for warning text/graphics.
New technology and warning techniques being investigated in research need to be implemented into operations.

3. What is a Significant Severe Thunderstorm?
SPC considers thunderstorms that produce wind gust of 65 kts (75 MPH), hail two inches in diameter or greater, and/or an EF2+ tornado to be significant
For the purpose of this study, will also consider thunderstorms that produce injuries or deaths to be significant as well

4. Significant Severe Thunderstorm Climatology for Northeast*
*For the purpose of this study, Northeast is considered New England, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, northeastern Maryland & Central and Eastern Pennsylvania

5. Significant Severe Wind vs. Tornadoes
There were 261 significant severe wind reports in the Northeast between 2012 and 2017 and only 138 tornadic events of any strength (EF0+) reported in that same time.

6. WFO Albany: Percentage of Significant Events 2012 to 2017
Out of the 1423 severe wind reports received to WFO Albany between 2012 and 2017, only 46 (about 3%) were considered significant

7. Radar Limitations Always Need to Be Kept in Mind
Images from NOAA/NWS Warning Decision Training Division (WDTD)
Radar & Applications Course (RAC, formerly DLOC)

8. Beam Blockage from KENX
Catskill Mountains south of KENX cause considerable beam blockage. This is an issue for storms that develop over the high terrain and then track eastward into the mid-Hudson Valley, as it may underestimate strength of storms headed towards populated areas around Kingston and Poughkeepsie.

9. Good Rule of Thumb from Warning Decision Training Division (WDTD)
Radar and Applications Course (RAC), Topic 2, Lesson 7 “Radar Sampling Issues”

10. Radar Analysis of Significant Severe Thunderstorms
Radar data from the Albany KENX WSR-88D was examined for the 46 thunderstorms that produced significant wind damage across the Albany WFO CWA from 2012 to 2017.
Several radar-based parameters, such as storm type, radial velocity and Specific Differential Phase (KDP), were collected at the time of and just prior to the time of the damage report via GR2Analyst software.

11. Radial Velocity Analysis

12. Specific Differential Phase (KDP)
Out of the 46 storms analyzed, 30 of them showed an elevated KDP column suspended aloft for several scans before the wind damage occurred.
This KDP column collapsed towards the surface at the time of the wind damage report as a result of a wet microburst.
Within the 30 times this was noted, 22 of those events were associated with supercell thunderstorms.
The highest KDP value within the suspended column aloft averaged to be 7.6 deg/km within these thunderstorms & the median value was 7.0 deg/km.

13. Max KDP Height Over Time
Typical Radar Volume Scan Lasts 4 to 6 minutes

14. Typical Radar Volume Scan Lasts 4 to 6 minutes
Max KDP Value Over Time
Typical Radar Volume Scan Lasts 4 to 6 minutes

15. Example of Lowering KDP Core
3 July 2014 over southern Herkimer County, New York
Type of storm: Supercell
Max KDP Value: 8.8 deg/km
Significant damage occurred at 2014Z in hamlet of Jordanville.
Elevated KDP core was seen at least 12 minutes before significant damage occurred

16. Descending KDP Column During a Squall Line Event
KENX KDP Cross-section
13 Aug Z
KENX KDP Cross-section
13 Aug Z
KENX KDP Cross-section
13 Aug Z
Cross-section of KDP from KENX show the elevated KDP column falling down to the surface on 13 August 2016 thanks to a strong microburst within a severe squall line. Significant damage occurred at 2225Z at the Pine Lake Campground in the town of Caroga in Fulton County, New York. The max value of the KDP within the elevated column was around 5.6 deg/km.

17. KDP vs. Z
A comparison of vertical cross-sections of KDP and Z from 30 June 2017 at 2016Z near Ravena, NY. This storm would go on to produce significant damage in South Schodack, NY at 2028Z. The elevated KDP core was around 8 deg/km around 10,000 ft. The KDP core aloft is easier to pick out for a warning forecaster compared to the broad area of 50+ dBZ within the Z cross-section.

18. Use During Warning Process
While a warning forecaster is interrogating other base data products, they can look for building columns of KDP within a thunderstorm.
If values appear to remain elevated and reach critical values (around 6 deg/km based off this study), a warning decision forecaster can anticipate an increased chance for significant damage when this column collapses towards the surface.
While base velocity can have its flaws based on beam angle and direction, KDP columns can help alleviate this limitation.
Still, inherent issues with beam width and terrain blockage will cause issues when evaluating KDP as well.
In addition, storms that contain large hail may not always show KDP columns, as KDP is not plotted when associated with low values of correlation coefficient (<0.90).

19. Other Considerations & Future Work
The depth of the mixing layer was measured to see if high cores of KDP above this layer were able to still make it to the surface
Mixing layer depth varied considerably from 1000 ft to 9000 ft
Having a small mixed layer did not prevent high KDP cores from making it down to the surface
Low level lapse rates within the mixed layer were typically rather steep
Average values were 10°/km (basically dry adiabatic)
Null cases will need to be examined to see how often high KDP cores don’t make it down to the surface and why that may be the case

20. Summary
Significant severe thunderstorms do occur over the Northeastern United States, with significant wind damage being the highest threat.
Determining if a severe thunderstorm will produce significant damage can be difficult at times for warning forecasters to pick out based on radial (pure) velocity alone. Knowing how strong a thunderstorm will be is valuable information for impact-based warnings.
Radar limitations (beam blockage, larger angles, distance from RDA) can all have an impact on the quality of radar data and need to be kept in mind during warning decisions.

21. Summary
Watching for collapsing KDP columns may be helpful during the warning process, especially within supercells with elevated KDP values of greater than 6.5 to 7 deg/km.
This feature has been seen mostly in supercells, but also has some potential in squall line cases as well.
Additional cases, including null cases, will need to be examined over the next few years to fully learn the utility of these items.

22. Questions?