Observations of Freezing Drizzle in Extratropical Cyclonic Storms during IMPROVE-2

Abstract

Abstract Observations of supercooled drizzle aloft within two storms impacting the Oregon Cascades during the second Improvement of Microphysical Parameterization through Observational Verification Experiment (IMPROVE-2) field project are presented. The storms were characterized by a structure and evolution similar to the split-front model of synoptic storms. Both storms were also characterized by strong cross-barrier flow. An analysis of aircraft and radar data indicated the presence of supercooled drizzle during two distinct storm periods: 1) the intrafrontal period immediately following the passage of an upper cold front and 2) the postfrontal period. The conditions associated with these regions of supercooled drizzle included 1) temperatures between −3° and −19°C, 2) ice crystal concentrations between 1 and 2 L−1, and 3) bimodal cloud droplet distributions of low concentration [cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration between 20 and 30 cm−3 and cloud drop concentration <35 cm−3]. Unique to this study was the relatively cold cloud top (<−15°C) and relatively high ice crystal concentrations in the drizzle region. These conditions typically hinder drizzle formation and survival; however, the strong flow over the mountain barrier amplified vertical motions (up to 2 m s−1) above local ridges, the mountain crest, and updrafts in embedded convection. These vertical motions produced high condensate supply rates that were able to overcome the depletion by the higher ice crystal concentrations. Additionally, the relatively high vertical motions resulted in a near balance of ice crystal fall speed (0.5–1.0 m s−1), leading to nearly terrain-parallel trajectories of the ice particles and a reduction of the flux of ice crystals from the higher levels into the low-level moisture-rich cloud, allowing the low-level cloud water and drizzle to be relatively undepleted. One of the key observations in the current storms was the persistence of drizzle drops in the presence of significant amounts of ice crystals over the steepest portion of the mountain crest. Despite the high radar reflectivity produced by the ice crystals (>15 dBZ) in this region, the relatively high condensate supply rate led to hazardous icing conditions. The current study reveals that vertical motions generated by local topographic features are critical in precipitation processes such as drizzle formation and thus it is essential that microphysical models predict these motions.