March 13, 2003: Squall line with hail Author: Pam Heinselman, CIMMS/OU Contributors: Terry Schuur and Kevin Scharfenberg, CIMMS/OU Last Updated: 9 April 2003

Forecast/Weather:

On 13 March 2003, a strong squall line moved across Oklahoma, producing heavy rain and hail. Unfortunately, data were collected for only two time periods.

Radar Operations:

Start time: 04:51 3/13/03 UTC (22:51 3/13/03 local time)
Stop time: 05:12 3/13/03 UTC (23:12 3/13/03 local time)

Radar/Operational Status:

Hydrometeor Classification Algorithm: Warm season

Operational Delivery:

Radar data collection too limited for operations.

Snapshots:

Figure 1: At 14:51 UTC 13 March, the radar reflectivity field shows an intense squall line located over central Oklahoma, with a gust front just ahead of it.	Figure 2: Areas of high differential reflectivity within the squall line are indicative of large rain drops whereas areas of near-zero differential reflectivity are indicative of ice and/or hail.
Figure 3: Areas of high specific differential phase indicate heavy rain along the leading edge of the squall line.	Figure 4: The hydrometeor classification algorithm identifies heavy rainfall and pockets of hail at 4:51 UTC 13 March 2003. Note that areas classified as hail correspond with areas of negative ZDR within the squall line.