Observed Doppler Spectra of Hail

Abstract

Observations of Doppler spectra from particles 610 m above the ground were obtained by means of a vertically pointing X-band radar during a period when large hail was falling at the ground. It was found that the variance of the Doppler spectrum was a fairly good indicator of maximum hailstone sizes. Calculations of ice-particle size spectra were made on the basis of assumptions of particle shape, composition and fall speed. The many assumptions needed to bring calculated ice-sphere spectra into approximate conformity with observations indicates the complexity of this procedure and the need for at least one more independent observation of the properties of the hailstones. Measurements of depolarization might yield an independent estimate of particle shape. It is concluded that the pronounced minima in the backscattering curves of large ice spheres should serve as an independent indicator of the speed of vertical air motions.