JD: 00-188 DoW: WED/THU UTC Date: 06JULY2000

SUMMARY: Sprites from MCS; Clouds Block View of Supercell w/Sprites

TLE PREDICTION: 0.36 (0.8 x 0.8)

RESULTS: 5+, Clouds Block Supercell; Few Sprites in southern NE

LESSONS: Must check out Mark Stanley obs of supercell sprites

PERSONNEL: Lyons, Nelson, Fossum, Nordem, Gardner, Rina,

STEPS STATUS: STEPS up.

YRFS OPERATION LOGS: Low centered near GLD caused complex dry/moist surface fields. Several intense supercell-like storms formed. The sw Kansas cell died out towards, but a very large storm, with tops to 65000, moved south-southeast out of NE into the LMA. It had high IC flash rates, but lower CG rates, and not too many positives. It provided excellent video before sunset. Just after sunset, Mark Stanley reported seeing sprites from his position. YRFS was blocked by an annoying patch of clouds parked right in front of the storm. We could see the many ICs but not the sky above. Mark said the sprites stopped shortly after 0315Z, and then the storm collapsed with amazing rapidity. It had a massive cold anvil which persisted several hours. We finally saw sprites starting at 0414Z from a smaller cell in central NE. By 0500Z, clouds blocked viewing of the remaining target, a squall line in northeast NE. Both USU and Stanford operated full suites of sensors. No good gravity waves.

Smoke from western slope fires reduced visibility somewhat. Moon illuminated clouds.

STEPS OPERATIONS: STEPS runs.

KEY RESULTS : Must check out what TLEs Mark saw from his position. Why did the massive storm dissipate so quickly? Was the lack of +CGs a factor in the low TLE count? These were not true MCS in spite of the impressive anvil clouds.

Total TLEs from Yucca Ridge This Campaign: 900+

FMA

Red Xybion (A)-Patrol: 1 tapes

Sony TRV900 3CCD: time lapse of late storm

GEN III unit; 3 DV tapes of lightning and sprites

JVC KY-19: shoot daytime TL/STEPS Cam (to ESE);

Pulnix CCD: shoot various TL scenes

Photodiode: available

Winckler PMT: used

GPS: OK

WWV Source: OK

VLF Inspire: used

ELF N-S: not available

ELF E-W: not available

NLDN Live: OK

NLDN Paper: 10 maps

NLDN Archive: 3 saves

MRC Data Acquisition: few samples

FMA Data Acquisition: not available

Thunder Mic: available

LANL Tracker: OK

Red Xybion (B)-Zoom; 1 tapes (on tracker)

Red Xybion (C)-Tele: 1 tapes-on tracker

Blue Xybion(D)-zoom: 0 tapes - problems with focus

Mountain Cam: nominal

STEPS Cam: nominal

Shure Mic: OK

NEXRAD Archive: Revised EDIS

GOES Archive: OK

RUC2 Archive: OK

STANFORD/STAR LAB:

Telescope used

LLTV used

ELF/VLF/PMT used

UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY:

Xybion GEN III (6 deg FOV) used

White or blue

CCD, Medium FOV OH imager used

Gravity waves/sprites

MIT ELF: operational

FUELLEKRUG ELF: operational

ISRAELI ELF: nominal