Disdrometer, Polarimetric Radar, and Condensation Nuclei Observations of Supercell and Multicell Storms on 11 June 2018 in Eastern Nebraska

Disdrometer and condensation nuclei (CN) data are compared with operational polarimetric radar data for one multicell and one supercell storm in eastern Nebraska on 11 June 2018. The radar was located similar to 14.3 km from the instrumentation location and provided excellent observation time series with new low-level samples every 1-2 min. Reflectivity derived by the disdrometer and radar compared well, especially in regions with high number concentration of drops and reflectivity <45 dBZ. Differential reflectivity also compared well between the datasets, though it was most similar in the supercell storm. Rain rate calculated by the disdrometer closely matched values estimated by the radar when reflectivity and differential reflectivity were used to produce the estimate. Concentration of CN generally followed precipitation intensity for the leading convective cell, with evidence for higher particle concentration on the edges of the convective cell associated with outflow. The distribution of CN in the supercell was more complex and generally did not follow precipitation intensity.