Observations of Mergers between Squall Lines and Isolated Supercell Thunderstorms

Abstract

Abstract A set of 21 cases in which an isolated supercell merged with a squall line were identified and investigated using analyses from the Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) model, archived data from the Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) network, and severe storm reports. This analysis revealed two primary environments associated with these mergers: a weak synoptic forcing, weak to moderate shear environment (WF) and a strong synoptic forcing, strong shear environment (SF). These environments bear a strong resemblance to those identified for progressive (WF) and serial (SF) derechoes in past studies. Radar reflectivity data revealed a spectrum of storm evolution patterns that generally lead to the merged system organizing as a bow echo. At one extreme, observed exclusively in the WF environment, the entire squall line evolved into a large bow echo following the merger. At the other extreme, observed for several cases in the SF environment, a localized bowing segment developed embedded within the larger squall line. The remaining cases exhibited characteristics best described as a hybrid of these extremes. Storm rotation generally weakened and became concentrated in low levels following the merger, although the exact evolution differed between the two background environments. Finally, an analysis of storm reports revealed that hail reports were maximized premerger and severe wind reports postmerger in both environments, while the distribution of tornado reports varied. In the WF environment a larger fraction of tornado reports occurred postmerger, while tornado production was maximized premerger in the SF environment. This suggests an evolving severe weather threat during the course of the merger, the details of which depend on the background environment.