Darrel M. Kingfield authored and/or contributed to the following articles/publications.
Rapid-scan polarimetric data analysis of the dissipation of a likely violent supercell tornado that struck near Sulphur, Oklahoma, on 9 May 2016 is presented. The Rapid X-band Polarimetric Radar was used to obtain data of the tornado at the end of its mature phase and during its entire dissipation phase. The analysis is presented in two parts: d...
Institution National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - NOAA
The time preceding supercell tornadogenesis and tornadogenesis “failure” has been studied extensively to identify differing attributes related to tornado production or lack thereof. Studies from the Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment (VORTEX) found that air in the rear-flank downdraft (RFD) regions of non- and weakly...
Institution National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - NOAA
Dissipation Characteristics of Tornadic Vortex Signatures Associated with Long-Duration Tornadoes
Weather Surveillance Radar–1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) data from 36 tornadic supercell cases from 2012 to 2016 are investigated to identify common tornadic vortex signature (TVS) behaviors prior to tornado dissipation. Based on the results of past case studies, four characteristics of TVSs associated with tornado dissipation were identified: weak or ...
Tornado Formation and Intensity Prediction Using Polarimetric Radar Estimates of Updraft Area
A sample of 198 supercells are investigated to determine if a radar proxy for the area of the storm midlevel updraft may be a skillful predictor of imminent tornado formation and/or peak tornado intensity. A novel algorithm, a modified version of the Thunderstorm Risk Estimation from Nowcasting Development via Size Sorting (TRENDSS) algorithm is...
Institution National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - NOAA
The Experimental Warning Program of NOAA’s Hazardous Weather Testbed
NOAA’s Hazardous Weather Testbed (HWT) is a physical space and research framework to foster collaboration and evaluate emerging tools, technology, and products for NWS operations. The HWT’s Experimental Warning Program (EWP) focuses on research, technology, and communication that may improve severe and hazardous weather warnings and societal res...
Institution National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - NOAA
Storm-Scale Polarimetric Radar Signatures Associated with Tornado Dissipation in Supercells
Polarimetric radar data from the WSR-88D network are used to examine the evolution of various polarimetric precursor signatures to tornado dissipation within a sample of 36 supercell storms. These signatures include an increase in bulk hook echo median raindrop size, a decrease in midlevel differential radar reflectivity factor (ZDR) column area...
The Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) network has undergone several improvements in the last decade with the upgrade to dual-polarization capabilities and the ability for forecasters to rescan the lowest levels of the atmosphere more frequently through the use of Supplemental Adaptive Intra-volume Scanning (SAILS). SAILS reduces ...
Institution National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - NOAA