NORMAN, Okla. — The National Weather Center in Norman was abuzz Monday morning for the ribbon-cutting of three new mobile radars ready to be deployed by the National Severe Storms Laboratory this spring and for decades to come.
Tulsa native Dr. DaNa Carlis is the director of the NSSL and has overseen the development of these publicly funded research tools.
“We’ll be able to put them right directly in the path of severe weather, whether that is a tornado, hail, or any type of extreme event like a wildfire,” said Dr. Carlis. “These particular instruments will be right there collecting information, high quality and high resolution, and sending them back to your forecast office.”
Unlike fixed radars, these can be brought anywhere to scan storm dynamics right at the surface, capturing critical data that would otherwise be missed. That otherwise missing data holds the key to better understanding how tornadoes form.
Weather radar information is probably the most critical type of data for severe weather forecasting and for tornado forecasting, according to Dr. Carlis.
These three mobile radars can collect data twice as fast with greater detail than what is shown with the nation’s array of fixed radars known as WSR-88Ds.
Beyond tornadoes, NSSL research scientist Dr. Sean Waugh, an expert in hail imaging, sees the real-world impact for predicting damaging hailstorms.
“What we’re going to be able to do is get a very unique look at not only what the hail looks like at the surface right before it hits the ground, but then tie that right back to what it looks like on radar,” said Dr. Waugh. “That information is going to dramatically improve our warning process and will get better, more accurate, faster warnings that we can push out to the public."
These radars with different strengths will give forecasters a more complete picture of storm behavior, translating to more accurate forecasts and timely, life-saving warnings.
For more on the National Severe Storms Laboratory, visit their website.
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