9523434 Marwitz Winter storms are among the most costly and disruptive of meteorological phenomena. The factors that control the production of such weather as freezing rain, heavy snowfalls and aircraft icing conditions are usually a complex interaction of localized precipitation physics and the larger scale atmospheric dynamics, so called microphysical/dynamical interactions. Utilizing aircraft and other meteorological data collected during the Winter Icing and Storms Project (WISP), under a previous award the Principal Investigator has advanced our understanding of the precipitation formation processes in winter storms including a new taxonomy for and insights into aircraft icing conditions. Under this award the Principal Investigator will continue this research and has three primary objectives: 1. Diagnostic study of the dynamical/microphysical interactions within a blizzard; 2. Diagnostic studies of a series of cases of freezing rain; 3. Attempt to explain the observed relationship between supercooled drizzle drops and vertical wind shear. Successful completion of this research will advance our fundamental understanding of the production of wintertime precipitation and potentially lead to improved forecasts. ***
