Summer 2007
2007 National Weather Radar Testbed Demonstration
Storms across Oklahoma this spring have provided NOAA NSSL scientists an unprecedented opportunity to research rapidly evolving weather phenomena using the phased array radar (PAR). PAR, part of the National Weather Radar Testbed (NWRT) has the potential to extend warning lead-times for severe weather.
The NWRT demonstration was conducted from April through mid-June, 2007. Designated National Weather Service Forecasters from forecast offices across the U.S. participated in coordination with NOAA and University of Oklahoma research meteorologists.
This demonstration will yield information about the benefits and challenges of using PAR data in warning decision-making situations by introducing real-time PAR data to a simulated operational warning environment. Other 2007 NWRT interrelated experiments will investigate the utility of PAR data in forecasting, modeling, and identifying characteristics of deep convection. The demonstration will also gather high-density verification information for the PAR to support the development of scientifically sound severe storm guidance applications and techniques.
The NWRT PAR became functional
in September 2003 and collected data in 2004 and 2005 for engineering tests,
weather observations, and system checks. To demonstrate the rapid-scan capability
of the PAR antenna, data were collected in 2006 on a variety of severe convective
storms using various scanning strategies.