14th Annual Northern Plains Convective Workshop

21-22 April 2010
Sioux Falls, South Dakota


The workshop will be held in an amphitheater at EROS Data Center, about 12 miles northeast of Sioux Falls.

Please be advised that all visitors, vehicles, and persons are subject to search by authorized security officials. Each visitor age 18 or older will be required to present a valid federal, state, or local government-issued photo identification (e.g., driver's license, passport or NOAA ID badge) for admittance to the building. All visitors are required to go through security. To help make the passage through security as efficient and comfortable as possible, only bring in items that are necessary. Cameras and video recorders are allowed inside the facility, however some restrictions apply. Taking pictures outside EROS is not allowed without prior permission. No person may bring dogs or other animals on Federal property for other than official purposes. However, a disabled person may bring a seeing-eye dog, a guide dog, or other animal assisting or being trained to assist that individual.

Click the highlighted titles to view an abstract (PDF) for the presentation.

Workshop Agenda

Wednesday, April 21st

7:45am - 8:15 am Registration
8:15 am Welcome - Mr. Jeff Eidenshink, Acting Director of EROS Data Center

Session I - Severe Weather Climatology I
Chairperson - Dennis Todey, South Dakota State Climatologist

8:20 am Extreme Non-Tornadic Wind Events: What We’ve Learned in the Past Decade
Daniel J. Miller, NOAA/NWS Duluth, MN
8:40 am An Analysis of Lightning Activity in Southeast Montana
Joe Lester, NOAA/NWS Billings, MT
9:00 am A Review of Storm Type and Radar Characteristics of Iowa Tornadic Thunderstorms
Rodney A. Donavon and Aubry Wilkins, NOAA/NWS Des Moines, IA
9:20 am Composite Analysis of Significant Severe Weather Day Synoptic Conditions in the NWS Chanhassen, MN County Warning Area
Michael Griesinger, NOAA/NWS Chanhassen, MN
9:40 am An investigation of Supercell-topography interaction and the potential for tornadogenesis
John Wetenkamp, NOAA/NWS Rapid City, SD
10:00 am Break

Session 2 - Severe Weather Climatology II
Chairperson - Brad Temeyer, NOAA/NWS Sioux Falls, SD

10:20 am Relation of severe storm reports to jet streaks and storm morphology
FEATURED SPEAKER: Dr. William Gallus, Iowa State University
11:10 am Severe Storm Assessment Using Satellite Data: Case Studies from Iowa in 2009
Kevin Gallo, NOAA/NESDIS Sioux Falls, SD and James Vogelmann, USGS/EROS Sioux Falls, SD
11:30 am Updating the Donavon and Jungbluth Severe Hail Detection Technique to Support the One Inch Criteria
Rodney A. Donavon, NOAA/NWS Des Moines, IA
11:50 pm - 12:50 pm Lunch on site at EROS Data Center.  Money will be collected at Registration.

Session 3 - Application and Observations within Severe Convection I
Chairperson - Jenni Laflin, NOAA/NWS Sioux Falls, SD

12:50 pm Vortex Arches in Supercells: WSR-88D Observations
Matthew J. Bunkers, NOAA/NWS Rapid City, SD
1:10 pm Origins of the Granite Falls, MN Tornado, July 25, 2000 Revisited
Douglas Dokken, St. Thomas University, St. Paul, MN
1:30 pm Radar reflectivity as a proxy for convective mass transport
Gretchen L. Mullendore, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND; A. J. Homann NOAA/NWS Indianapolis, IN; C. Schumacher and K. Bevers, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
1:50 pm Unmanned aircraft in storm-scale and mesoscale research
FEATURED SPEAKER: Dr. Adam Houston, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
2:40 pm Break

Session 4 - Application and Observations within Severe Convection II
Chairperson - Kyle Weisser, NOAA/NWS Sioux Falls, SD

3:00 pm A Targeted Modeling Study of the Interaction between a Supercell and a Preexisting Airmass Boundary
Jennifer M. Laflin and Adam L. Houston, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
3:20 pm The 19 August 2009 Twin Cities Area Tornadoes: High Resolution Observed and Modeled Characteristics
Tom Hultquist, NOAA/NWS Chanhassen, MN
3:40 pm Mesocyclone Evolution Associated with Varying Shear Profiles during the 24 June 2003 Tornado Outbreak
Joshua M. Boustead, NOAA/NWS Omaha/Valley, NE and Philip N. Schumacher, NOAA/NWS Sioux Falls, SD

Session 5 - Winter Severe Weather
Chairperson - Brian Karstens, Weather MINDS - AMS/NWA Southeast South Dakota Chapter

4:00 pm Improving Numerical Modeling of Winter Storms: Investigation of the October 2009 Red Lake Snow Event
Kelsey Watkins, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND; Gretchen Mullendore, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND; and Dave Kellenbenz, NOAA/NWS Grand Forks, ND
4:20 pm The March 23-24, 2009 Southeastern Montana Blizzard: A Customer’s Perspective
Kurt P. Hooley, NOAA/NWS Billings, MT
4:40 pm Laura’s Long Winter: Putting the Hard Winter of 1880-81 into Perspective
Barbara Mayes, NOAA/NWS Omaha/Valley, NE
6:30 pm Join us for dinner at Wild Sage Grille in downtown Sioux Falls. Participants cover their own expense.

Thursday, April 22nd

Session 6 - Societal Impacts and Collaboration During Severe Convective Weather
Chairperson - Jeff Chapman, NOAA/NWS Sioux Falls, SD

8:00 am Societal Dimensions of the 2009 Aug 19 Minneapolis Tornado
Matthew T. Friedlein and Lisa R. Schmit, NOAA/NWS Chanhassen MN
8:20 am Decision Support Services: Working Smarter, Not Harder
Matt Solum, NOAA/NWS Billings, MT
8:40 am A Spatial Analysis of Storm-Based Warnings across the Northern Plains Using Geographic Information Systems
Kelly Kramlich and Mike Fowle, NOAA/NWS Aberdeen, SD
9:00 am Perspectives on a Regional Radio Network’s Utilization of NWSChat
Kevin L. Huyck, Weather Eye Radio Network, LLC

Session 7 - Case Studies of Severe Convective Storms I
Chairperson - Phil Schumacher, NOAA/NWS Sioux Falls, SD

9:20 am The June 5th 2009 Tornadic Supercell in Goshen County, Wyoming: A Look at Storm Evolution and the Collaboration of Operational and Research Meteorologists During the Event
Rebecca J. Mazur and Scott Carpenter, NOAA/NWS Cheyenne, WY
9:40 am Observations of a Long-Lived, Mostly Non-Tornadic Supercell
Chauncey J. Schultz, NOAA/NWS North Platte, NE
10:00 am Break
10:20 am What's New at the Storm Prediction Center
FEATURED SPEAKER: Mr. Jonathan Racy, Storm Prediction Center, Norman, OK

Session 8 - Case Studies of Severe Convective Storms II
Chairperson - Kevin Huyck, AMS Twin Cities Chapter

11:10 am The Twin Cities Metro AREA Tornadoes of 8 August 2009
Bryan J. Howell, Telvent DTN, Burnsville, MN and John Wetter, Skywarn Coordinator, NOAA/NWS Chanhassen MN
11:30 am An Overview of the 6 June 2008 Northern Minnesota Tornado Event
Peter J. Rogers and Brad Hopkins, NOAA/NWS Grand Forks, ND
11:50 pm The Warroad, MN EF3 Tornado of 5 August 2006
David J. Kellenbenz, NOAA/NWS Grand Forks, ND
12:10 pm Supercell Initiation in the Southwestern Twin Cities Tornado Case of 8 August 2009
Brandon C. Bigelbach and Robert A. Weisman, St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN
12:30 pm Closing Remarks
12:45 pm - 1:15 pm OPTIONAL: Tour of EROS Data Center Facility

Last Update: Thursday, April 15, 2010