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High-Resolution NEXRAD Radar Data to Improve Forecasts and Warnings

Customers and partners met recently with NWS staff to discuss agency plans to electronically collect and distribute high-resolution NEXRAD radar data, referred to as Level II data, in near real time. NWS has been testing the feasibility of Level II data collection and distribution at 62 NEXRAD sites.

"In the past two years we added high-resolution reflectivity radar data to the AWIPS data stream," said Tim Crum of the Radar Operations Center in Norman, OK. "Forecasters have frequently cited these high-resolution displays as keys in identifying tornadoes and severe weather better and sooner. As we put higher resolution data in the hands of forecasters we give them more tools to produce better, more timely, and more accurate forecasts. In addition, NCEP will use the Level II data in operations and modeling."

Level II data will be collected from 132 of the 159 radar sites by the completion of Full Operating Capability in 2004. In the past, because of limited data transmission capabilities, the NWS could not effectively incorporate this high-resolution data into operational models or make the data available to customers and partners in a timely manner. As new high-speed data transmission capabilities have become available, the NWS has incorporated more of the Level II data into operational products making this additional information available in near real time to customers and partners.

A June 18, 2003, meeting in Silver Spring, MD, attracted more than 30 external users of NEXRAD data. The meeting focused on describing NWS plans to electronically collect and distribute the high-resolution data. Representatives from the university/research community and the private sector attended the meeting to learn more about how they will be able to obtain near real-time access to these data. Members of the private sector provided the NWS with comments on how they would like the NWS to make these data available to the private sector.

"Access to these data by the university and research communities will accelerate technology development that will benefit future NWS technology," Crum said. "Several private sector companies are interested in using these data to expand the products they provide customers."

Crum added, "The meeting had a good representation from several Level II user groups -- government laboratories, universities, and the private sector -- which demonstrates the high interest in real time access to these high-resolution data. The meeting was a huge success in that we were able to obtain private sector inputs as to their unique needs and make minor adjustments in our program to better accommodate their needs as well as ours."

To find more about Level II data, click here.

NASA Transfers Technology to NWS to Improve Upper Air Observations

The NWS is getting some advanced temperature sensor technology from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) which will give a truer picture of the atmosphere and help determine if sensors are performing correctly.

The sensor technology, which has been under the exclusive domain of NASA, is being transferred to the NWS for use in radiosonde testing. Radiosonde instruments measure the temperature, relative humidity, pressure, and winds aloft up to 100,000 feet or more. The NWS launches radiosondes twice daily and uses the data to calibrate numerical weather prediction models, understand the state of the atmosphere for severe weather forecasts and warnings, and for studying the climate.

"One of the biggest problems with radiosondes is the difficulty in determining how accurate the measurements are at high altitudes," said Joe Facundo, Chief, Observing Systems Branch. "The new temperature sensors allow the NWS to calculate the true temperature and the moisture content of the atmosphere with a high-degree of accuracy."

The radiosonde under test is placed next to another radiosonde containing the new sensor and flown side-by-side on a weather balloon up to 100,000 feet. The data are then processed on the ground by NASA staff at the Sterling, VA, Research and Development Center, who produce the final results for NWS use in determining how accurate the test radiosondes are aloft. These data will then be shared with the meteorological/climatological communities for a better understanding of the upper atmosphere.

Joe Facundo adds, "Although this sensor technology has been around for some time, the software to process the data was still in development. With newer operating systems and techniques, staff can now use simple personal computers to process the data and calculate accurate profiles of the upper air atmosphere. When the transfer is completed, NWS will have the capability to evaluate new radiosondes using this technology."

NWS Directives Update

More than two dozen new or updated NWS directives were posted to the NWS Directive System web site over the past few weeks. These directives cover such topics as marine and coastal, fire weather, and tropical cyclone programs. For the full list of new directives, follow this link.

On to Kitty Hawk: Meteorologist Helps to Mark Historic Wright Flight With Glider Group
By Marilu Trainor
NWS Western Region Public Affairs Officer

A father-son vacation trip can be a memory maker. But when it includes landing your airplane alongside 40 gliders on the shores of Kitty Hawk, NC, on the Fourth of July, it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Dan Gudgel, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, San Joaquin County Weather Forecast Office in Hanford, CA, took annual leave to be the chief tow pilot for a recent transcontinental glider race called "Return to Kitty Hawk." It was one of many centennial celebrations planned this year to commemorate the Wright brothers' experiments that eventually led to the first successful powered flight by Orville Wright on December 17, 1903.

The Return to Kitty Hawk race was one centerpiece of the National Park Service's powered flight centennial celebration. The race started June 19, 2003, at Crystal Air Gliderport near Los Angeles, CA, and ended July 4 on the famed sand dune shores of Kitty Hawk. The father-son duo flew together in Kitty Hawk Air, a 1976 Cessna 185F that followed the gliders after launch and ensured no pilot landed without crew contact.

Gudgel knew only a few people could participate in a cross-country glider race to the original North Carolina site and he wanted to be part of this modern-day aviation event. He took his 10-year-old son, Joshua, along for the ride. Gudgel is a commercial pilot in multiple FAA categories, and has been an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner for 17 years. When not recreational flying, he assists his father in the family agricultural aviation business.

Gudgel had a safety role in the commemorative race, flying Kitty Hawk Air to ensure the group didn't encounter inclement weather. He said weather conditions became the main focus for everyone participating in this race. They encountered sun, rain, wind, low visibilities, and the impacts of a hurricane on the 2,600-mile race. Bad weather forced the gliders of champions and novices alike to be towed across portions of the country, riding only a trailer tire's distance above the surface of the earth on a few of the legs. However, the self-launch gliders did fly all the way across the country even if not on contest days.

Gliders and sailplanes have no engines and are towed by an airplane to the height of 2,000 to 2,500 feet above airfield elevation before being released to ride the wind currents. During flight the gliders can attain average speeds up to 100 miles per hour on some of the strongest soaring days. Gliders were launched from both surfaced and grass runways at the end of Gudgel's 200-foot tow rope on the nationwide trek. As the glider pilots release the rope, they begin their search for thermals, the rising air that enables altitude gain.

"Glider pilots have to understand the weather, the winds, and the lift sources. It's their own knowledge of these dynamics that gives a glider pilot an advantage. Every flight is a challenge for a glider pilot," Gudgel said. "Sailplane pilots are constantly evaluating the atmosphere for lift that will enable them to minimize climb time and maximize cruise flight whereby the average cross-country speed increases."

Gudgel ensured every race pilot was aware of weather hazards for pilot-in-command decisions and logistical planning. "My advice was especially helpful to the group in regard to a couple of severe weather outbreaks and the influence of moisture from Tropical Storm Bill threatening the race legs in the Southeast United States," he said.

The race, sanctioned by the Soaring Society of America, involved glider pilots from Germany, Spain, France, Czechoslovakia, and throughout the United States. The event had twelve scheduled stops in Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia, and North Carolina.

"It was an unbelievable feeling as my son and I saw the gliders finally reach the shores at Kitty Hawk," Gudgel said after returning from his three weeks of leave for the race. "After the Fourth of July celebration at Kitty Hawk, we ferried the aircraft home to California. The winner received a trophy but we all shared in the pride of completing the race, and the comradery was priceless."

Click here for a collage of some of Gudgel's photos from the event.

WFOs in Blacksburg and Pittsburgh Host High School/High Tech Students

This summer the NWS welcomes two students to local forecast offices in Pittsburgh, PA, and Blacksburg, VA, through a program for high school students with disabilities. The High School/High Tech Program offers students with disabilities an opportunity to pursue their interests in high technology through a paid internship. The program is designed to develop career opportunities and provide activities that encourage students with disabilities to pursue high technology careers through early exposure to professions in science, math, engineering, and technology-related fields. Interns can work up to 40 hours a week for 8 weeks through the program. The program also encourages the students to pursue post-secondary education and helps them in that transition. "The real value is in taking the opportunity to support the diversity goals of the organization in such a profound way. It's a very important thing to do and makes us feel good doing it," said Theresa Rossi, Meteorologist-In-Charge at the Weather Forecast Office (WFO) in Pittsburgh. "Daniel Klein, our intern this summer, will be working with our Information Technology Officer and getting important hands-on experience to enhance his career opportunities." The High School/High Tech Program, developed in the early 1980s by a task force of executives from high tech companies and adopted by the President's Committee on Employment of People With Disabilities in 1995, was introduced to the NWS through the efforts of NOAA Disability Ambassador John Wright who works at the Blacksburg WFO.

"This is a win-win situation for everyone involved," notes John Wright. "Through conference calls, workshops, and networking, I've worked with NWS offices to spread the word about the real value in taking this opportunity to fill a demand for high-quality candidates in the sciences." Through Wright's efforts and the NWS's Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Office, the program will increase the diversity of the NWS workforce.

According to Rufus Caruthers, NWS EEO Director, "The High School/High Tech Program is a tremendous tool to identify and recruit people with disabilities into the math and science fields. The NWS is committed to reaching out to those with disabilities and being a diverse, employee-friendly environment. We would love to see more of these promising young people train in NWS offices throughout the country. To accomplish that, we need to forge more relationships with the corporate players in other cities." Wright founded the Montgomery County, VA, High School/High Tech Program in 1998. As a result, WFO Blacksburg was the first field office to employee a student from the program. This is WFO Blacksburg's fifth year participating in the program.

This year WFO Blacksburg welcomed Taylor Walls into their ranks from the program. More than 40 companies of the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center have participated in the program. According to Wright, more than 130 students have participated in the Montgomery County program since 1998, including nine at the WFO. This program is gaining support nationwide and the NWS was one of the first corporate participants. For more information about the program, click here, or contact Rufus Caruthers of NWS's EEO Office, or John Wright, NOAA's Disability Ambassador.

Volunteers Help with Local 'Day of Caring'

NWS volunteers from the Kansas City, MO, area recently helped beautify the grounds of a local day care center for children with special needs.

The effort was part of a community service activity in the Kansas City metropolitan area coordinated by the Combined Federal Campaign and the Heart of America United Way known as "Day of Caring" on June 21, 2003.

"The idea behind Day of Caring is to involve Kansas City area employees and their family members in first-hand experience with area non-profits to raise awareness of community needs and services, as well as to better understand the impact of their donated dollars," said Elaine Wilbur, Central Region Equal Employment Opportunity Manager. "These activities give employees a great opportunity to get to know each other outside the workplace, and it's a way for us to touch the lives of others."

Wilbur said volunteers from the NWS Central Region Headquarters, the National Reconditioning Center (NRC), and the NWS Training Center have made grounds-keeping their Day of Caring activity for the past few years. The Northland Early Education Center (NEEC) in Kansas City was the site for this year's volunteer work.

The NEEC provides quality education and therapy services to children with special needs, from birth to age five, to help them reach their full potential. The NEEC staff and parents joined the NWS group. Together they gathered more than 30 large lawn bags of weeds and garbage, planted a new flower bed, and added new mulch to the work area.

"The feeling of accomplishment and gratitude is overwhelming," Wilbur said. "You feel great and know that the few hours you donated were truly worthwhile. This is a day when the community comes together. Next year, we'll participate again."

NWS volunteers included Marvin Orndoff, Arnold Colores, and Ruby Pippenger from the NRC; John Vogel, Donna Layton, Clayton James, Sondra Young-Wick, Art Wick, Dave Rowell, and Bob Hamilton from the NWS Training Center; and Dennis McCarthy, Gary Foltz, Janie Foltz, Dan Bloom, Gail Bloom, and Elaine Wilbur from Central Region Headquarters.

Also On the Web...Golf Results Posted

Results from this year's annual Central Region/NWS Golf Association Golf Tournament held June 16-20, 2003, at Loma Linda Golf Resort near Joplin, MO, are available on the NWS Golf web page at http://www.weatherconsultant.com/Golf/Golf.html.