The Flying Eagle

[JP Santiago]

I've seen this term applied to what I presume is the shape of a supercell's radar signature. Now I'll admit to somewhat sucking at Rorschach inkblot tests, but when it was used in reference to that supercell last week that went from Abilene, TX, to the Red River via Breckenridge, I wasn't quite seeing it.

On a secondary note, are there storm features that correlate to parts of the flying eagle shape?

[Jason Boggs]

Here is an example of a classic "flying eagle" supercell that was about 50 miles north of Laredo, TX about 4 or 5 days ago. Notice the wings, the tail, and the head.


http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/4509/copyofradar3eg2.jpg

[JP Santiago]

I assume that one wing is the precip signal running north towards Derby, the other wing points NE from Cotulla, the tail is just north of Artesia Wells? Are there specific supercell features that correspond to the shape?

I can only maybe venture that the side of the tail would be the developing meso and associated hook echo.

[Glen Romine]

There was a thread some time ago on the flying eagle reflectivity signature. You might find some useful information there:

http://www.stormtrack.org/forum/showthread.php?t=3247

[Jim Saueressig]

I was asking myself the same question and realized that maybe "pouncing eagle" was maybe a better term?

http://www.troubledhorizons.com/misc/pouncingeagle.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/-jon-/169894468/)

This was the best I could find on short notice. (click for the owners pictures)

[JP Santiago]

Thank you, Glen, that thread was very informative. I'll have to mull over the diagrams and try to wrap my brain around things in 3D and have been scribbling a little drawing here to understand things. From what I read, the other wing of the storm signature (the easterly oriented one) is most likely storm divergence at higher levels rather than a split of the mid-level winds by the updraft?

[Chad Cowan]

The V notch (wings) can sometimes been seen on IR sat images in the wake of a powerful updraft. Just reading over the old thread, I would say this adds some credence to the 'pebble in the stream' effect.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mrx/svrevnts/07apr2006/authorInput/summaryImages/40723Z_IRsat.jpg

[JP Santiago]

Could divergence of the updraft itself be a cause for the signature? Several websites I looked at indicated that the v-notch was the result of the updraft spreading outward, but then shouldn't there be two areas of a forward flank downdraft if that's the case?