William Henson

On the Dependence of Winter Precipitation Types on Temperature, Precipitation Rate, and Associated Features

The phase of precipitation formed within the atmosphere is highly dependent on the vertical temperature profile through which it falls. In particular, several precipitation types can form in an environment with a melting layer aloft and a refreezing layer below. These precipitation types include freezing rain, ice pellets, wet snow, and slush. To examine the formation of such precipitation, a bulk microphysics scheme was used to compare the characteristics of the hydrometeors produced by the model and observed by a research aircraft flight during the 1998 ice storm near Montreal, Canada. The model reproduced several of the observed key precipitation characteristics. Sensitivity tests on the precipitation types formed during the ice storm were also performed. These tests utilized temperature profiles produced by the North American Regional Reanalysis. The results show that small variations (±0.5°C) in the temperature profiles as well as in the precipitation rate can have major impacts on the types of precipitation formed at the surface. These results impose strong requirements on the accuracy needed by prediction models.

STORM STUDIES IN THE ARCTIC (STAR)

The Storm Studies in the Arctic (STAR) network (2007–2010) conducted a major meteorological field project from 10 October–30 November 2007 and in February 2008, focused on southern Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada—a region that experiences intense autumn and winter storms. The STAR research program is concerned with the documentation, better understanding, and improved prediction of meteorological and related hazards in the Arctic, including their modification by local topography and land–sea ice–ocean transitions, and their effect on local communities. To optimize the applicability of STAR network science, we are also communicating with the user community (northern communities and government sectors). STAR has obtained a variety of surface-based and unique research aircraft field measurements, high-resolution modeling products, and remote sensing measurements (including Cloudsat) as part of its science strategy and has the first arctic Cloudsat validation dataset. In total, 14 research flights were flown b...

On the Characteristics of and Processes Producing Winter Precipitation Types near 0°C

AbstractThis article examines the types of winter precipitation that occur near 0°C, specifically rain, freezing rain, freezing drizzle, ice pellets, snow pellets, and wet snow. It follows from a call by M. Ralph et al. for more attention to be paid to this precipitation since it represents one of the most serious wintertime quantitative precipitation forecasting (QPF) issues. The formation of the many precipitation types involves ice-phase and/or liquid-phase processes, and thresholds in the degree of melting and/or freezing often dictate the types occurring at the surface. Some types can occur simultaneously so that, for example, ensuing collisions between supercooled raindrops and ice pellets that form ice pellet aggregates can lead to substantial reductions in the occurrence of freezing rain at the surface, and ice crystal multiplication processes can lead to locally produced ice crystals in the subfreezing layer below inversions. Highly variable fall velocities within the background temperature and w...