Casebook 22 July 2004
From CSU-CHILL
CSU-CHILL Casebook: 22 July, 2004
Around mid-day on 22 July 2004, thunderstorms began to develop over the area between metropolitan Denver and Denver International Airport. At 1855 UTC a spotter report of 1.25 inch diameter hail was received from Commerce City (near azimuth 195 degrees / range 71 km). Shortly before this report, the storm in the Commerce City area was displaying polarimetric radar indications of hail. (Intense (> ~55 dBZ) reflectivity levels in combination with ~0 dB values. See the VCHILL examples below.) The positive levels in the neighboring storms indicated that they contained more preferentially-oriented hydrometeors. (i.e., like oblate raindrops; small hailstones with a stabilizing meltwater coating, etc.)
