Early and precise warnings of severe weather hazards are the target of the Experimental Warning Program, part of the NOAA Hazardous Weather Testbed

Severe weather warning precision targeted

Early and precise warnings of severe weather hazards were the focus of the Experimental Warning Program (EWP), part of the 2007 NOAA Hazardous Weather Testbed Spring Experiment. NSSL researchers and their collaborators targeted the detection and prediction of mesoscale and smaller weather hazards on time scales of minutes to a few hours, and on spatial scales from several counties to fractions of counties. Teams participating in the EWP focused on the shorter-term convective weather warning needs of forecasters by testing new hazardous weather services, products and applications in a real-time operational setting. Successful results will help improve the skill of severe weather warnings issued by the NWS by reducing false alarms and allowing warnings to be more focused on the people who are truly in harm's way.

2007 EWP results

Phased Array Radar Demonstration
EWP participants collected and evaluated in real-time, and in case study mode, numerous data sets from the NWRT phased array radar. These evaluations will be used for further development of the phased array radar.

Experimental Warnings
An initial test began in the EWP during spring 2007 to create experimental “threat area” severe weather warnings.

CASA Radars Demonstration
EWP participants viewed real-time and archive products from the Center for the Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA) radar demonstration network in southwestern Oklahoma. These formal evaluations will be used in the 2008 CASA demonstration and to eventually determine the efficacy of low-cost, low-power, high-density radar networks.

Severe Hazards Analysis & Verification Experiment (SHAVE)
The SHAVE 2007 project collected over 5000 surface reports in support of high-resolution verification experiments, including numerous long-lived “swaths” of severe weather. Numerous ground surveys of wind and/or tornado damage were conducted in Central Oklahoma in support of testbed data.

Dual-pol Radar Demonstration
EWP participants viewed and evaluated products generated by the KOUN testbed dual-polarimetric WSR-88D. The national radar network will be upgraded in 2010-2011 to include dual-pol capabilities, so the feedback generated by the EWP participants will be used in the development of the nationally deployed product suite.

CIMMS Mike Coniglio studies storms over eastern Colorado and western Kansas

Lightning Mapping Array Demonstration
Data from the Oklahoma Lightning Mapping Array were available for evaluation for the second consecutive year. EWP participants were able to use these data in near-real-time to evaluate intracloud and cloud-to-ground lightning flash rates and their association with severe weather at the surface.

Radar Refractivity Experiment
EWP participants were also able to view experimental products characterizing radar refractivity, which can help forecasters better diagnose near-surface moisture. Their feedback will be used to determine the feasibility of national deployment of radar refractivity diagnostic products.