Pacific Jets Experiment 2003 (PACJET-03)

BACKGROUND

The Pacific Land-falling Jets Experiment (PACJET) is an ongoing study of land-falling winter storms on the U.S. West Coast. The project is operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in collaboration with a number of universities and other government agencies. The field research is designed to increase the scientific understanding of these powerful and often destructive storms and to test the use of new observing systems and products to aid National Weather Service (NWS) forecasters.

PACJET-2003 FIELD OPERATIONS

As in past winters dating back to the 1997/98 El Niño, PACJET will again this winter operate a network of 915-MHz wind profiling radars along the Pacific coast from northern Oregon to southern California, as well as others in California's central valley and Sierra foothills. In Jan. and Feb. 2003, PACJET will also conduct focused observations in the vicinity of Fort Ross, CA, on the rugged coastline north of San Francisco, an area that has particularly poor coverage by the NWS's operational network of WSR-88D radars. These PACJET observations will employ additional advanced-technology instruments, including a polarimetric, Doppler X-band scanning weather radar, a pair of S-band precipitation profiling radars, raindrop disdrometers, and special high-resolution rain gauges.

PACJET-2003 GOALS

• Examine the structure and kinematics of storms as they approach the coastline and ascend the coastal mountains, and determine the role of low-level wind jets in precipitation formation and location.
• Document storm features that slip beneath coverage of the nearest WSR-88D radars, and send the PACJET radar images to NWS forecast offices via the Web.
• Study the microphysical features and orographic precipitation mechanisms in storm clouds over the coastal mountains.
• Continue testing experimental polarimetric radar estimations of rainfall rate.
• Develop embryonic foundations for a regional Hydrometeorological Testbed as a conduit to infuse new observing technology to the NWS.
• Evaluate a suite of operational and research models through comparison to radar wind profiler and surface meteorological data.

Data Collection Dates

Intensive Operating Periods Within Core Season

Other Intense Weather Events Outside of the Core Season

Instrumentation Operations Overview