Abstract:
A unique dual-Doppler data set of the landfall of Hurricane Isabel was analyzed. These data were collected with the Shared Mobile Atmospheric Research and Teaching (SMART) radars that were deployed in North Carolina along a 54 km north-south baseline. The radars collected more than 14 hours of coordinated dual-Doppler scans during the landfall of this category two hurricane, including the passage of the eye-wall that went through the dual-Doppler lobe. High spatial resolution volumes were collected every 2-4 minutes providing exceptional temporal resolution.
This study focused on the mesoscale evolution of several of the rainbands during landfall. In particular, variability in precipitation was related to kinematics of the airflow through the forward right flank of the hurricane as the rainbands made landfall. The variability of precipitation at different temporal and spatial scales during hurricane landfalls is a particularly relevant issue for the student-led test-bed being deployed in Puerto Rico. This study also has implications to the Houston, TX test-bed that will focus on hydrological applications.