Hurricane structure and wind fields from stereoscopic and infrared satellite observations and radar data

Abstract Infrared and stereoscopic visible satellite data from synchronized scanning of GOES-East and -West are combined with ground-based radar data for Hurricane Frederic (1979) and time-composited airborne radar for Hurricane Alien (1980) to investigate hurricane cloud and precipitation structure. Cloud winds with stereoscopic cloud-top height assignments were measured within a ten degree latitude radius of Hurricane Frederic using 7.5 minute interval GOES data and were combined with rawinsonde and low-level aircraft wind data. It was observed that stereoscopically measured cloud-top height in these hurricanes was not nearly as closely correlated to radar reflectivity at lower levels as it is in intense thunderstorms over land. In the eyewall of Hurricane Frederic, some of the high reflectivity regions appear as stereoscopically observed overshooting tops, but major radar-observed precipitation areas outside the eyewall were not evident in the overlying cloud-top structure. The most extensive precipita...