Simultaneous Observations from In Situ Ground-Based and Airborne Radars at Multiple Frequency Bands Over Winter Storms

A comprehensive understanding of various microphysical processes underlying precipitation formation can be achieved through simultaneous measurements from ground-based and airborne radar systems at different frequencies. The study presented in this paper primarily centers on the analysis of collective observations of winter precipitation obtained from various radars deployed during the Investigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Snowstorms (IMPACTS) conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This work focuses on precipitation observing remote sensing instruments, namely the Dual-frequency Dual-polarized Doppler Radar (D3R) operating at Ku/Ka-bands, airborne radars at X, Ku, Ka, and W-band frequencies aboard NASA's ER-2 flight, and instruments on NASA's P-3 flight, including probes and dropsondes. Coordinated Range Height Indicator (RHI) scans from the D3R along the flight track are used for simultaneous observation of a snowstorm event on 28
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February 2023. Cross-validation procedures are performed, accounting for differences in spatial resolution and viewing geometry through volume matching. The ground based disdrometer is used to project the level of inter-comparison expected between radar measurements at different frequencies. The inter-comparison between the D3R and the aircraft-borne radar systems revealed consistent measurements. Additionally, this study provides an assessment of distinct ice crystal habits observed during the storm based on radar measurements, corroborated by corresponding observations from microphysics probes aboard the P-3 flight.