Weather Modification Operations With NEXRAD LEVEL-II Data And Products
The Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) and the Texas Weather Modification Association (TWMA) have partnered with Weather Decision Technologies to develop a decision support system for use in weather modification field operations.
WEATHER_MODIFICATION_OPERATIONS_WITH_NEXRAD_LEVEL
Abstract Operations for weather modification field programs is highly dependent on timely and accurate radar information. The quality of that radar information can impact the success of weather modification missions. The Oklahoma Water Resources Board has worked with Weather Decision Technologies to develop a decision support system for use in field operations. The system depends on the NEXRAD wide band or Level-II data, the highest resolution data produced by the NWS’ NEXRAD network. In addition to display of the raw Level-II data, the WDT system generates products such as reflectivity fields at constant temperature levels, time height trends of reflectivity within storms and quantitative precipitation estimates for various time periods. The WDT system produces products for display in an interactive web-based display. The web-based display allows multiple users to view the products simultaneously at various physical locations, making coordination more efficient. This paper will provide a description of Level-II data, the data delivery mechanisms, the algorithms that generate the products, and the web-based display capability. WDT has also developed the capability to provide Level II data and products within the TITAN display, a system that was developed by NCAR and that is used by many weather modification organizations around the world.