Explaining the absence of a precipitation curtain in a low-precipitation tornadic supercell

Explain the absence of a precipitation curtain in the Candating, Arayat low-precipitation tornadic supercell despite concurrent radar-indicated hydrometeor presence and elevated lightning activity, by identifying the microphysical and dynamical mechanisms responsible for the storm’s low-precipitation mode.

Background

The supercell exhibited low-precipitation characteristics without a precipitation curtain, even though radar analysis indicated ice, graupel, and hail within the updraft and strong electrical activity below the freezing level.

The authors discuss possible hypotheses involving low-level shear, upper-level storm-relative flow, and mid-level moisture structure, but explicitly note that the cause remains unclear, highlighting a need to isolate the controlling microphysical and dynamical processes in this tropical case.