The Oklahoma-Kansas Preliminary Regional Experiment for STORM-Central

During May and June 1985, the Oklahoma-Kansas Preliminary Regional Experiment for STORM-Central (the Oklahoma-Kansas PRE-STORM Program) was conducted to investigate the structure and dynamics of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs). As the name implies, the program was conducted over the Oklahoma and Kansas regions and emulated to some degree the β-scale network array proposed for the full-scale STORM-Central program. A number of sensing systems, including Doppler radars, digitized radars, surface mesonetwork stations, supplemental and National Weather Service (NWS) rawinsondes, wind profilers, a lightning location system, satellite products, and research aircraft were brought together to collect the data necessary to begin the investigations of MCSs. At the same time, testing and evaluation of new sensing systems, such as profilers and airborne Doppler radar, were carried out to determine how best to operate them in a coordinated observing system. Sixteen operational missions were conducted in which one o...