Science Questions

• What is role of hot towers in TC intensification and RI?• Are they a cause of intensification or an effect?• How does wind and temperature field of vortex respond to diabatic heating and vertical mass flux of hot towers and broader spectrum of convective and stratiform precipitation during TC intensification?• What is role of rainband heating in TC intensification?• How do secondary eyewalls develop and impact TC intensification?

Measurement objectives

• To document vortex- and convective-scale structure and evolution within TC inner core, including eye, eyewall, and radii out to ~3 x RMW, during TC intensification, including RI

Over-storm GH for inner-core convection/RI/mature

• Vortex survey patterns (fig-4, butterfly, rotating fig-4)• Purpose

- to provide spatial coverage of vortex structure via radial legs• Conditions for flying

-If there is a TC with a reasonable chance of intensifying over next 48 h; “reasonable” being defined by best available guidance (e.g., SHIPS, SHIPS Rapid Intensification Index, numerical model guidance)- No flight/cancellation if TC expected to enter obviously hostile environment over next 48 h (e.g., landfall, extremely high vertical shear, very cold SST’s)

• Guidelines- basic pattern on which modules are attached

- repeat pattern for temporal evolution• Descope/contingency

- fly box pattern around eyewall if too turbulent to overfly eyewall- number of azimuths (i.e., fig-4, butterfly, rotating fig-4) and leglengths can be adjusted to reduce on-station time

Basic patterns for over-storm GH for inner-core convection/RI/mature

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Figure-4

Purpose: Vortex survey Flight time 100 km leg: 0.96 h200 km leg: 1.82 h(100 km leg shown here)

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Butterfly

Purpose: Vortex surveyFlight time 100 km leg: 1.46 h200 km leg: 2.72 h(100 km leg shown here)

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Rotating Figure-4

Purpose: Vortex survey Flight time 100 km leg: 1.88 h200 km leg: 3.51 h(100 km leg shown here)

Basic patterns for over-storm GH for inner-core convection/RI/mature

• Modules (Bowtie, racetrack, or lawnmower)• Purpose

- to sample convective burst, or if system is highly-sheared storm- provide high-temporal resolution sampling to monitor convective structure and evolution

• Conditions for flying-If, during the execution of a vortex survey pattern, satellite data or radar data from NOAA P-3 indicates a convective burst is occurring within inner core and within reasonable distance of GH - If TC is experiencing asymmetric distribution of precipitation, e.g., in response to vertical shear

• Guidelines- repeat pattern for temporal evolution as many times as possible without

significantly degrading vortex survey (e.g., should be completed in < 2 h time)•Descope/contingency

- size of pattern can be modified to reduce module time

high-altitude aircraft flies above P3 for dropsondeand microphysical information

Bowtie (green) and racetrack (red)

Convective burst or sheared/asymmetric precipitation module

Note: axis of pattern for module can be rotated; leading convective/trailing stratiform schematic shown here not likely to be seen in eyewall of mature TC

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Purpose: Vortex survey pattern

Example: Hurricane Bonnie (1998)Sheared TC with convective burst on NE side

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Example: Hurricane Bonnie (1998)Sheared TC with convective burst on NE side:

Upon completion of survey pattern, execute burst module, then repeat survey

Purpose: Convective burst or sheared/asymmetric precipitationOption 1: racetrack pattern

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Purpose: Convective burst or sheared/asymmetric precipitationOption 2: lawnmower pattern

Example: Hurricane Bonnie (1998)Sheared TC with convective burst on NE side:

Upon completion of survey pattern, execute burst module, then repeat survey

Basic patterns for over-storm GH for inner-core convection/RI/mature

• Modules (outside primary eyewall, e.g., concentric eyewall, rainband modules)

• Purpose- to provide greater azimuthal coverage of concentric eyewalls, rainbands

• Conditions for flying-If, during the execution of a vortex survey pattern, satellite data or radar data from NOAA P-3 indicates a concentric eyewall or principal rainband is present

• Guidelines- box pattern can be flown for concentric eyewall module, racetrack-

type pattern for temporal evolution for rainband module• Descope/contingency

- size of pattern, e.g., length of racetrack legs, can be modified to reduce module time

Box (red) Box (red) and racetrack (black)

Purpose: concentric eyewall Purpose: rainband

Coordination with P-3

• Preference is to fly these modules when a P-3 is also in the storm to provide meteorological awareness from lower fuselage and tail Doppler (particularly the case for modules which require flexibility during pattern execution)

• For GH survey patterns flown with P-3, fly portion of patterns with separation between aircraft to maximize coverage

• For GH survey patterns flown with P-3, attempt to fly some legs in a vertically-stacked orientation (with a lag for the GH of ~5-10 minutes) for instrument intercomparisons, vertical structure of convective features