Estimation of Divergence in the Prestorm Boundary Layer

Abstract

An analysis technique to derive wind field parameters from single-Doppler velocity measurements, known as Modified Velocity-Volume Processing (MVVP) is examined from both theoretical and operational perspectives. For this technique, radar data within limited spatial volumes are fit to a model which usually assumes linearity of the Cartesian wind components. The accuracies and limitations of this technique are illustrated with examples from a case study of a severe storm outbreak in central Oklahoma on 17 May 1981. Implications for use of the MVVP in convective storm forecasting are considered.