Research Interests
In the Storm and Tornado Modeling Laboratory (STorMLab), we use high-resolution numerical simulations to study the dynamics, thermodynamics, and precipitation physics of severe convective storms and the tornadoes they produce. Our goal is to better characterize and understand the complex connections between these processes and how they modulate the hazards these storms produce, including large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes. Additionally, we work on synthesizing model simulations and predictions with remote and in situ observations of these storms, most recently from the 2016-2017 VORTEX-SE field campaigns.
In brief, our group is currently focused on 1) developing and implementing microphysics parameterizations within cloud-resolving models to investigate the interplay between microphysical and dynamical processes in severe thunderstorms, 2) collecting and analyzing rain drop size distributions and other observations in severe convection, 3) developing a regional storm-scale polarimetric radar data assimilation and prediction system, and 4) conducting very high-resolution numerical simulations of tornadoes and their parent thunderstorms.
CV
My CV (PDF).
Publications
[1]
Q. Jiang and D. T. Dawson, “The Impact of Surface Drag on the Structure and Evolution of Surface Boundaries Associated with Tornadogenesis in Simulated Supercells,” Monthly Weather Review, vol. 151, no. 12, pp. 3037–3061, Dec. 2023, doi: 10.1175/mwr-d-23-0050.1.
[2]
A. T. LaFleur, R. L. Tanamachi, D. T. Dawson, and D. D. Turner, “Factors Affecting the Rapid Recovery of CAPE on 31 March 2016 during VORTEX-Southeast,” Monthly Weather Review, vol. 151, no. 6, pp. 1459–1477, Jun. 2023, doi: 10.1175/mwr-d-22-0051.1.
[3]
N. S. Brauer et al., “Hurricane Laura (2020): A Comparison of Drop Size Distribution Moments Using Ground and Radar Remote Sensing Retrieval Methods,” Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, vol. 127, no. 16, Aug. 2022, doi: 10.1029/2021jd035845.
[4]
J. A. Milbrandt, H. Morrison, D. T. Dawson II, and M. Paukert, “A Triple-Moment Representation of Ice in the Predicted Particle Properties (P3) Microphysics Scheme,” Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, vol. 78, no. 2, pp. 439–458, Feb. 2021, doi: 10.1175/jas-d-20-0084.1.
[5]
D. R. Chavas and D. T. Dawson II, “An Idealized Physical Model for the Severe Convective Storm Environmental Sounding,” Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, vol. 78, no. 2, pp. 653–670, Feb. 2021, doi: 10.1175/jas-d-20-0120.1.
[6]
F. Li, D. R. Chavas, K. A. Reed, N. Rosenbloom, and D. T. Dawson II, “The Role of Elevated Terrain and the Gulf of Mexico in the Production of Severe Local Storm Environments over North America,” Journal of Climate, vol. 34, no. 19, pp. 7799–7819, Oct. 2021, doi: 10.1175/jcli-d-20-0607.1.
[7]
E. R. Mansell, D. T. Dawson II, and J. M. Straka, “Bin-Emulating Hail Melting in Three-Moment Bulk Microphysics,” Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, vol. 77, no. 10, pp. 3361–3385, Oct. 2020, doi: 10.1175/jas-d-19-0268.1.
[8]
F. Rocadenbosch et al., “Ceilometer-Based Rain-Rate Estimation: A Case-Study Comparison With S-Band Radar and Disdrometer Retrievals in the Context of VORTEX-SE,” IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, vol. 58, no. 12, pp. 8268–8284, Dec. 2020, doi: 10.1109/tgrs.2020.2984458.
[9]
F. Li, D. R. Chavas, K. A. Reed, and D. T. Dawson II, “Climatology of Severe Local Storm Environments and Synoptic-Scale Features over North America in ERA5 Reanalysis and CAM6 Simulation,” Journal of Climate, vol. 33, no. 19, pp. 8339–8365, Oct. 2020, doi: 10.1175/jcli-d-19-0986.1.
[10]
R. L. Tanamachi, D. T. Dawson, and L. C. Parker, “Students of Purdue Observing Tornadic Thunderstorms for Research (SPOTTR) A Severe Storms Field Work Course at Purdue University,” Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, vol. 101, no. 6, pp. E847–E868, Jun. 2020, doi: 10.1175/bams-d-19-0025.1.
[11]
B. Roberts, M. Xue, and D. T. Dawson, “The Effect of Surface Drag Strength on Mesocyclone Intensification and Tornadogenesis in Idealized Supercell Simulations,” Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, vol. 77, no. 5, pp. 1699–1721, May 2020, doi: 10.1175/jas-d-19-0109.1.
[12]
D. T. Dawson, B. Roberts, and M. Xue, “A method to control the environmental wind profile in idealized simulations of deep convection with surface friction,” Monthly Weather Review, vol. 147, no. 11, pp. 3935–3954, 2019.
[13]
M. Johnson et al., “Evaluation of Unified Model Microphysics in High-resolution NWP Simulations Using Polarimetric Radar Observations,” Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, vol. 35, no. 7, pp. 771–784, 2018.
[14]
J. C. Snyder, H. B. Bluestein, D. T. Dawson, and Y. Jung, “Simulations of polarimetric, X-band radar signatures in supercells. Part II: Z<inf>DR</inf> columns and rings and K<inf>DP</inf> columns,” Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, vol. 56, no. 7, pp. 2001–2026, 2017.
[15]
M. Johnson, Y. Jung, D. T. Dawson, and M. Xue, “Comparison of Simulated Polarimetric Signatures in Idealized Supercell Storms Using Two-Moment Bulk Microphysics Schemes in WRF,” Monthly Weather Review, vol. 144, no. 3, pp. 971–996, 2016.
[16]
I. Dawson Daniel T., M. Xue, A. Shapiro, J. A. Milbrandt, and A. D. Schenkman, “Sensitivity of Real-Data Simulations of the 3 May 1999 Oklahoma City Tornadic Supercell and Associated Tornadoes to Multimoment Microphysics. Part II: Analysis of Buoyancy and Dynamic Pressure Forces in Simulated Tornado-Like Vortices,” Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, vol. 73, no. 3, pp. 1039–1061, 2016.
[17]
A. D. Schenkman, M. Xue, and I. Dawson Daniel T., “The Cause of Internal Outflow Surges in a High-Resolution Simulation of the 8 May 2003 Oklahoma City Tornadic Supercell,” Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, vol. 73, no. 1, pp. 353–370, 2016.
[18]
B. Roberts, M. Xue, A. D. Schenkman, and I. Dawson Daniel T., “The Role of Surface Drag in Tornadogenesis within an Idealized Supercell Simulation,” Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, vol. 73, no. 9, pp. 3371–3395, 2016.
[19]
D. T. Dawson, E. R. Mansell, and M. R. Kumjian, “Does wind shear cause hydrometeor size sorting?,” Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, vol. 72, no. 1, pp. 340–348, 2015.
[20]
I. Dawson Daniel T., M. Xue, J. A. Milbrandt, and A. Shapiro, “Sensitivity of Real-Data Simulations of the 3 May 1999 Oklahoma City Tornadic Supercell and Associated Tornadoes to Multimoment Microphysics. Part I: Storm- and Tornado-Scale Numerical Forecasts,” Monthly Weather Review, vol. 143, no. 6, pp. 2241–2265, 2015.
[21]
C. E. Wainwright, D. T. Dawson, M. Xue, and G. Zhang, “Diagnosing the intercept parameters of the exponential drop size distributions in a single-moment microphysics scheme and impact on supercell storm simulations,” Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, vol. 53, pp. 2072–2090, 2014.
[22]
D. T. Dawson, E. R. Mansell, Y. Jung, L. J. Wicker, M. R. Kumjian, and M. Xue, “Low-level ZDR signatures in supercell forward flanks: the role of size sorting and melting of hail,” Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, vol. 71, pp. 276–299, 2014.
[23]
I. Dawson Daniel T., L. J. Wicker, E. R. Mansell, Y. Jung, and M. Xue, “Low-Level Polarimetric Radar Signatures in EnKF Analyses and Forecasts of the May 8, 2003 Oklahoma City Tornadic Supercell: Impact of Multimoment Microphysics and Comparisons with Observation,” Advances in Meteorology, 2013.
[24]
H. D. Reeves and D. T. Dawson II, “The dependence of QPF on the choice of microphysical parameterization for lake-effect snowstorms,” Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 363–377, 2013.
[25]
R. L. Tanamachi, L. J. Wicker, D. C. Dowell, H. B. Bluestein, D. T. Dawson, and M. Xue, “EnKF assimilation of high-resolution, mobile Doppler radar data of the 4 May 2007 Greensburg, Kansas supercell into a numerical cloud model,” Monthly Weather Review, 2012.
[26]
I. Dawson Daniel T., L. J. Wicker, E. R. Mansell, and R. L. Tanamachi, “Impact of the Environmental Low-Level Wind Profile on Ensemble Forecasts of the 4 May 2007 Greensburg, Kansas, Tornadic Storm and Associated Mesocyclones,” Monthly Weather Review, vol. 140, no. 2, pp. 696–716, 2012.
[27]
I. Dawson Daniel T., M. Xue, J. A. Milbrandt, and M. K. Yau, “Comparison of Evaporation and Cold Pool Development between Single-Moment and Multimoment Bulk Microphysics Schemes in Idealized Simulations of Tornadic Thunderstorms,” Monthly Weather Review, vol. 138, no. 4, pp. 1152–1171, 2010.
[28]
G. Zhang, M. Xue, Q. Cao, and D. Dawson, “Diagnosing the Intercept Parameter for Exponential Raindrop Size Distribution Based on Video Disdrometer Observations: Model Development,” Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, vol. 47, no. 11, pp. 2983–2992, 2008.
[29]
D. T. Dawson and M. Xue, “Numerical forecasts of the 15-16 June 2002 southern plains mesoscale convective system: Impact of mesoscale data and cloud analysis,” Monthly Weather Review, vol. 134, no. 6, pp. 1607–1629, 2006.
[30]
D. T. Dawson II and M. Xue, “Impact of mesoscale data, cloud analysis on the explicit prediction of an MCS during IHOP 2002,” Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, pp. 2621–2627, 2004.