Mesoscale features of a winter storm

Doppler radars were used to observe a winter coastal storm on 12 February 1988. Measurements of the polarization differential reflectivity by radar yielded information about the changing thermodynamic phase of precipitation as the change from snow to rain progressed northward from the southern New England coast in a strongly stable environment. Doppler velocity measurements by the two radars were used to synthesize the two-dimensional wind fields. These wind fields revealed an upper-level mesoscale trough and ridge moving across the surveillance area during a two-hour period, closely preceding the large-scale clearing of the precipitation, well ahead of the surface low-pressure center. This case represents the first use of these radars for dual-Doppler wind field analysis.