Forecasting Strategies for Haboobs: An Underreported Weather Phenomenon

On June 5, 2013, Lubbock Texas is hit by a haboob at 10:30 pm. The storm is categorized as a wind event by television media and the dust component goes unreported. This event is used as a case study to evaluate the usefulness of the polarimetric variables differential reflectivity (ZDR) and correlat...

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Main Author: Mark J. Dempsey
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2014-01-01
Series:Advances in Meteorology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/904759
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author Mark J. Dempsey
author_facet Mark J. Dempsey
author_sort Mark J. Dempsey
collection DOAJ
description On June 5, 2013, Lubbock Texas is hit by a haboob at 10:30 pm. The storm is categorized as a wind event by television media and the dust component goes unreported. This event is used as a case study to evaluate the usefulness of the polarimetric variables differential reflectivity (ZDR) and correlation coefficient (CC) in identifying the storm as a haboob. Photographic evidence of the haboob is collected and correlated to NEXRAD signatures of base reflectivity and velocity from the Lubbock TX NEXRAD station (KLBB). NEXRAD level III products ZDR and CC are also obtained. The storm presents with gust front features to the north and east of the station. Low values returned from CC indicate nonmeteorological content. ZDR representations weakly indicate the presence of gust fronts to the east, with a stronger signal to the north. As no visual evidence of the northern gust front is available, the ZDR data are inconclusive. The correlation of low CC values to the visual representation of the haboob is an indicator that CC in combination with the NEXRAD base reflectivity and velocity products may be used to test wind events for the presence of sand, dust, and dirt and therefore exhibit predictive qualities.
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spelling doaj-art-e8a3721f9aff49d3b0081ac93f875b712025-02-03T06:11:36ZengWileyAdvances in Meteorology1687-93091687-93172014-01-01201410.1155/2014/904759904759Forecasting Strategies for Haboobs: An Underreported Weather PhenomenonMark J. Dempsey0The Graduate Center, CUNY, Earth and Environmental Sciences, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USAOn June 5, 2013, Lubbock Texas is hit by a haboob at 10:30 pm. The storm is categorized as a wind event by television media and the dust component goes unreported. This event is used as a case study to evaluate the usefulness of the polarimetric variables differential reflectivity (ZDR) and correlation coefficient (CC) in identifying the storm as a haboob. Photographic evidence of the haboob is collected and correlated to NEXRAD signatures of base reflectivity and velocity from the Lubbock TX NEXRAD station (KLBB). NEXRAD level III products ZDR and CC are also obtained. The storm presents with gust front features to the north and east of the station. Low values returned from CC indicate nonmeteorological content. ZDR representations weakly indicate the presence of gust fronts to the east, with a stronger signal to the north. As no visual evidence of the northern gust front is available, the ZDR data are inconclusive. The correlation of low CC values to the visual representation of the haboob is an indicator that CC in combination with the NEXRAD base reflectivity and velocity products may be used to test wind events for the presence of sand, dust, and dirt and therefore exhibit predictive qualities.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/904759
spellingShingle Mark J. Dempsey
Forecasting Strategies for Haboobs: An Underreported Weather Phenomenon
Advances in Meteorology
title Forecasting Strategies for Haboobs: An Underreported Weather Phenomenon
title_full Forecasting Strategies for Haboobs: An Underreported Weather Phenomenon
title_fullStr Forecasting Strategies for Haboobs: An Underreported Weather Phenomenon
title_full_unstemmed Forecasting Strategies for Haboobs: An Underreported Weather Phenomenon
title_short Forecasting Strategies for Haboobs: An Underreported Weather Phenomenon
title_sort forecasting strategies for haboobs an underreported weather phenomenon
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/904759
work_keys_str_mv AT markjdempsey forecastingstrategiesforhaboobsanunderreportedweatherphenomenon