ABSTRACT
Hail embryo differences between the High Plains and Oklahoma hailstorms were studied using model simulations run with a three-dimensional nonhydrostatic cloud model. The horizontally homogeneous model domain was initialized with an environment taken from a developed database of proximity soundings representative of hailstorms from the High Plains and Oklahoma. A two-moment microphysical scheme with four liquid and five ice species was utilized. An important unique feature of this model is that both graupel and frozen drops are represented and can become embryos for hail.
In order to determine differences in the mean simulated hail growth behavior between environments, Student's test statistics and p-values were generated. Linear regression was also used to test the presence of and the degree of relationship between variables within a single environment and between environments.
Between the High Plains and Oklahoma hail storms, a mildly significant difference in the hail produced from frozen drop embryos was detected; however, no significant difference in the production of hail from graupel embryos was found.
Hail production from either frozen drop or graupel embryos was found to be moderately correlated to most sounding variables tested. However, a strong positive relationship was determined between the amount of rain mass flux through the freezing level of a storm and amount of hail produced via frozen drops aloft.
Surface hail count dependency on in-cloud production of hail with a particular embryo type was also explored, and it was found that High Plains (Oklahoma) hailstorms have large hail correlated more strongly with hail production via graupel (frozen drop) embryos than in Oklahoma (High Plains) hailstorms.