Spectral Polarimetry for Inferring the Dynamic Behavior of Hail, Rain and their Temporal Evolution in a Convective Storm during the RELAMPAGO Field Campaign

Polarimetric measurements from weather radars can provide valuable information about the size, shape, and orientation of hydrometeors [1]. When polarimetric measurements are combined with Doppler information, it is referred to as spectral polarimetry. This enables the study of hydrometeor microphysical properties as well as kinematics within precipitation systems [2]. This paper utilizes spectral polarimetry applied to dual-polarization C-Band CSU-CHIVO radar observations from the Remote sensing of Electrification, Lightning, And Mesoscale/microscale Processes with Adaptive Ground Observations (RELAMPAGO) field experiment [3]. The spectral variables are computed to explore microphysical processes and dynamics associated with the vertical structure of the core of a convective storm with hail and rain-hail mixture. Particularly, the results from spectral polarimetry are used to study the tumbling motion of the hail particles in the rain-hail region of the convective storm. In addition, this investigation also examines how particle size distributions and hydrometeor kinematics within the rain-hail region undergo temporal changes.