Improving the physical understanding, numerical simulation and forecasts of severe storms and precipitation events over major Australian cities

This proposal will employ a wide range of field observations to better understand the physical processes, synoptic environment and climatology of severe storms and precipitation events across the heavily populated regions of Australia. This understanding will then be used to evaluate and improve present day numerical simulations of such storms and, thus, provide a basis for improving the forecasts and response to such events. A further objective is to employ focussed field observations (in-situ cloud microphysics, weather radar, the dual-polarised (CP2) research radar, ground-based and satellite-based) available over southeast Queensland to better understand the nature of the interaction between precipitation and cloud microphysics.