VORTEX1 Operations Summary

VORTEX1 Operations Summary -- 1994 season and 1995 season

Storm Data Summaries of Severe Weather Events
1994 Season - April, May, June
1995 Season - April, May, June

1994 Operations
Date	Overview	Mission Summary	Weather Discussions	Daily Weather Maps	P-3 Mission	Electra Mission	Data Highlights
9 April	HP supercells in Kansas	Summary	Summary	Maps			NWS 18Z soundings.
10 April	Weak cold-frontal showers	Summary	Summary	Maps			M-CLASS sounding in the vicinity of front
14 April	Dryline Bust	Summary	Summary	Maps			NWS 18Z soundings (OUN, TOP, UMN, GGG, SEP) VORTEX M-CLASS 18Z soundings WSR-88D data from KTLK, KFRD
25 April	Dryline Bust	Summary	Summary	Maps			M-CLASS sounding was obtained near the dryline, about 20 km upstream (with respect to the low-level flow) of the TCU at sunset.
26 April	Gainesville, TX storm	Summary	Summary	Maps			Fixed-CLASS soundings (LBB: 18,21,00Z; ADM: 19Z) M-CLASS soundings near 18Z Mobile mesonet passed through the back side of the Gainesville mesocyclone.
27 April	Cold front bust	Summary	Summary	Maps			Mobile mesonet transects of the front and warm sector. M-CLASS soundings across the front.
Date	Overview	Mission Summary	Weather Discussions	Daily Weather Maps	P-3 Mission	Electra Mission	Data Highlights
6 May	Tornadic HP supercell near Kaw Reservoir	Summary	Summary	Maps			Fixed-CLASS (ADM and LBB) soundings at 18, 21, and 00Z. NCAR M-CLASS serial ascents in the inflow sector. Many updraft and near-environment M-CLASS soundings. Several deployments of portable Doppler on the wall cloud. Mobile mesonet data collected in the mesocyclone.
9 May	1st west-Texas bust	Summary	Summary	Maps			Fixed CLASS (ADM and LBB) at 18, 21, and 00 UTC. Mobile mesonet transects across Palo Duro Canyon. M-CLASS soundings at both sides and the bottom of the canyon.
13 May	2nd west-Texas bust	Summary	Summary	Maps	Summary		First P-3 operations day. NWS 18 UTC soundings (DRT, MAF, SEP, AMA, OUN) Fixed-CLASS (ADM and LBB) at 18, 21, and 00 UTC.
24 May	Wichita Falls supercell	Summary	Summary	Maps	Summary		Stereo movie footage of a rotating wall cloud. Mobile mesonet transects of low-level mesocyclone, rear-flank downdraft and inflow region. Possible P-3 data set.
25 May	Northfield tornadic supercell; several other mesocyclones	Summary	Summary	Maps	Summary		Fixed-CLASS at LBB and ADM (18, 21, and 00 UTC) M-CLASS sounding into the updraft just prior to tornado formation. 3-cm portable Doppler data on the tornado. Mobile mesonet observations from W through S through E of the tornado. Mobile mesonet cross-section of a later mesocyclone. Possible P-3 data set, but some intervening convection.
26 May	Lubbock non-tornadic supercells	Summary	Summary	Maps	Summary		A number of fixed-CLASS soundings from LBB. Numerous forward-flank and updraft M-CLASS soundings. Turtles deployment on the mesocyclone. Continuous mobile mesonet observations in all parts of the supercell. 14 P-3 volume scans.
Date	Overview	Mission Summary	Weather Discussions	Daily Weather Maps	P-3 Mission	Electra Mission	Data Highlights
29 May	Archer City tornadic supercell	Summary	Summary	Maps	Summary		LBB and ADM fixed-CLASS (18, 21, 00 UTC). Many P-3 volume scans, including several while the tornado was occurring and visible from the aircraft.
31 May	Very weak landspout [?] in SW KS	Summary	Summary	Maps	Summary		None.
1 June	Bow-shaped storm near Marysville, KS	Summary	Summary	Maps	Summary		Mobile mesonet observations from various regions of the bow-shaped storm. A number of M-CLASS soundings from various parts of the storm, and in the inflow both north and south of the warm front. Numerous P-3 radar volumes.
7 June	dryline bust near Buffalo, OK	Summary	Summary	Maps	Summary		Fixed-CLASS at ADM and LBB (18, 21, and 00 UTC) Several mobile mesonet transects of the dryline, and the environment east of the dryline. Several M-CLASS launches near, and on both sides, of the dryline, and near the best-developed TCU on the dryline. Several P-3 stepped traverses of the dryline over the mobile mesonet, and very near to the best-developed TCU.
8 June	The inpenetrable lid	Summary		Maps	Summary		M-CLASS and fixed-CLASS. The P-3 intercepted a tornadic storm in N.E. Colorado after the VORTEX mobile mesonet scrubbed operations.
10 June	non-tornadic supercell near Vega, Texas	Summary		Maps	Summary		The P-3 was released to fly to NW Kansas because the cloud development in west Texas was quite weak. LBB and ADM fixed-CLASS. NWS 18Z soundings at AMA, MAF. Thorough mobile mesonet documentation of surface features. Numerous soundings documenting the evolution of the inflow sector of the storm. Three updraft soundings.
1995 Operations
Date	Overview	Mission Summary	Weather Discussions	Daily Weather Maps	P-3 Mission	Electra Mission	Data Highlights
9 April			Forecast Summary	Maps	Summary		NWS special soundings at 1800 and 2100 UTC CLASS soundings at ADM,LBB,LTS,WWR
16 April			Forecast Summary		Summary		CLASS soundings at ADM, LBB, LTS, WWR 1800, 2100, 2230, 0000 UTC
17 April	Temple, OK Tornado	Summary	Forecast Summary		Summary	Summary	CLASS soundings at ADM, LBB, LTS, WWR 1800 to 0000 UTC every 90 mins Quicktime movie of Frederick, OK radar
19 April	Seymour TX and beyond	Summary	Forecast Summary		Summary	Summary	CLASS soundings at ADM, LBB, LTS, WWR NWS special soundings 1800 and 2100 UTC
20 April	ARM Flight	Summary	Forecast Summary		Summary		No VORTEX ground team operated
21 April	ARM Flight	Summary	Forecast Summary		Summary		NWS special soundings at 1800 UTC from MAF, FTW No VORTEX ground team operations
Date	Overview	Mission Summary	Weather Discussions	Daily Weather Maps	P-3 Mission	Electra Mission	Data Highlights
23 April	ARM Flight	Summary	Forecast Summary		Summary		No VORTEX ground team operations
26 April	ARM Flight	Summary	Forecast Summary		Summary		No VORTEX ground team operations
28 April	ARM Flight	Summary	Forecast Summary		Summary		NWS special soundings at MAF, AMA, and LBB No VORTEX ground team operations
29 April	Lake Texoma	Summary	Forecast Summary		Summary		NWS special soundings at 1800 and 2100 UTC from FWD and MAF
30 April	Childress, TX	Summary	Forecast Summary		Summary	Summary	NWS and VORTEX CLASS soundings at 1800 and 2100 UTC
2 May	ARM Flight	Summary	Forecast Summary		Summary		No VORTEX ground teams operations
Date	Overview	Mission Summary	Weather Discussions	Daily Weather Maps	P-3 Mission	Electra Mission	Data Highlights
3 May	Return to Seymour, TX	Summary	Forecast Summary		Summary	Summary
4 May	ARM Flight	Summary	Forecast Summary		Summary		I.O.P. -high frequency ARM soundings
5 May	ARM Flight	Summary	Forecast		Summary		I.O.P. -high frequency ARM soundings
6 May	West Texas dryline	Summary	Forecast		Summary	Summary	NWS special release at 1800 and 2100 UTC (Except Topeka, KS)
7 May	Ardmore, OK Tornado	Summary	Forecast Summary		Summary	Summary	NWS special soundings at 1800 and 2100 UTC Radar data collected from 3-mm Portable Radar Quicktime or MPEG movie of squall line on radar mosaic.
12 May	Northwest Kansas Supercell	Summary	Forecast Summary		Summary	Summary	NWS special soundings at 1800 and 2100 UTC Mobile radar was available Radar data collected from 3-mm Portable Radar
Date	Overview	Mission Summary	Weather Discussions	Daily Weather Maps	P-3 Mission	Electra Mission	Data Highlights
16 May	Garden City, KS tornadoes	Summary	Forecast Summary		Summary	Summary	NWS special soundings at 1800 and 2100 UTC
17 May	North-Central Oklahoma	Summary	Forecast Summary		Summary	Summary	Special NWS soundings at Dallas, Midland, Norman 2-hour flight by the SDSMT T-28 armored aircraft Radar data collected from 3-mm Portable Radar
22 May	Shamrock, TX	Summary	Forecast Summary		Summary	Summary	Radar data collected from 3-mm Portable Radar
27 May	Emporia, KS Bust	Summary	Forecast Summary		Summary	Summary	Special NWS soundings at OUN, DDC, TOP, OMA, LZR
31 May	Abilene, TX		Forecast			Summary	No VORTEX ground operations
2 June	Dimmitt/Friona, TX tornadoes	Summary	Forecast Summary		Summary	Summary	VHF Communications Summary Special CLASS soundings at LBB, WWR, LTS.
Date	Overview	Mission Summary	Weather Discussions	Daily Weather Maps	P-3 Mission	Electra Mission	Data Highlights
3 June	Silverton, Texas	Summary	Forecast Summary		Summary	Summary	Special CLASS soundings at LBB, WWR, LTS NWS Special soundings from FWD, MAF, AMA, DDC, OUN at 1800 UTC
8 June	McLean/Allison TX tornadoes	Summary	Forecast Summary		Summary	Summary	VHF Communications Log - Allison and Kellerville Special soundings at LBB, WWR and ADM NWS Special soundings from FWD, MAF, AMA, DDC, OUN, TOP at 1800 and 2100 UTC

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Executive Summary

VORTEX (1994) had a very successful season, despite the record tornado drought in Oklahoma. We intercepted three tornadic supercells. Unfortunately, the structure of two of these prevented data collection on the tornadoes themselves, and in the third storm, the road network prevented data collection.

We also intercepted and documented six non-tornadic supercells which will allow us to compare tornadic and non-tornadic storms. On four days, supercells were forecast, but non-supercellular convection occurred and was documented.

Needless to say, these VORTEX data sets are unprecedented in spatial and temporal detail, and will provide many new insights into the structure and evolution of tornadic and non-tornadic storms.

The NOAA P-3 collected several good data sets, including two on tornadic storms, and several on non-tornadic storms with mesocyclones. We are very pleased that we now have Doppler data documenting the evolution of storms and mesocyclones, instead of snapshot views.

Finally, on several of the "bust" days, we gathered data that should enable us to gain a much better understanding of storm (non-) initiation.

Erik Rasmussen, Principal Investigator