NSSL’s dual-polarized mobile Doppler radar team coordinated operations with the Phoenix National Weather Service (NWS) Forecast Office and the NWS Radar Operations Center during dust storm events during July and August.  Their mission was to collect data on the vertical extent of the dust to compare with the Phoenix NWS radar data, recently upgraded with dual-polarization technology.

To date, data has been collected on seven dust storms, with four of them being considered as “major.”

NWS forecasters observed a mysterious shadow in the radar data during the dust storm on July 19, 2011.  They also re-examined dual-polarized radar data from the large dust storm on July 5, 2011.  During that event, the shadows were more pronounced, and along and slightly behind the leading edge of the dust storm.

NWS forecasters hope combining both data sets will reveal some clues about their existence.