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[STORMREPORTS] Doppler On Wheels in Eastern NC

From: Jesse Ferrell (WeatherMatrix) 2 (jesse{at}weathermatrix.com)
Date: Thu Sep 18 2003 - 06:51:47 EDT

FULL STORY:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/09/030917071834.htm

Photo of the vehicle:
http://www.ucar.edu/communications/newsreleases/2003/hurricane.html

"Arlington, Va -- Three "Doppler On Wheels" (DOW) mobile radars developed
partly at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) are heading
toward the mid-Atlantic coast to intercept the eye of Hurricane Isabel as
the powerful storm hits land. Meanwhile, the nation's next-generation
weather model, developed at NCAR and other labs, is training its electronic
"eyes" on a virtual Isabel at NCAR's supercomputing center in Boulder.

The DOWs will deploy at or near the coast in the direct path of the storm.
"From a head-on position," says NCAR affiliate scientist Josh Wurman, "the
DOW can collect unprecedented high-resolution data and rapid-scan Doppler
radar data from inside the eye."

At close range the scans will observe fine-scale but potentially damaging
storm features as small as 40-feet across, including wind streaks, gusts
and other structures. The DOWs are a collaborative effort between NCAR and
the Center for Severe Weather Research. Wurman operates the vehicles
through the CSWR, with support primarily from the National Science Foundation.

"This is an exciting opportunity to improve our understanding of the finer
scale structure of one of nature's most powerful phenomena," says Cliff
Jacobs, program director in NSF's division of atmospheric sciences.
"Federal support for national centers and university researchers has
allowed the nexus of people, tools, and ideas to converge to gain new
knowledge about hurricanes."

The newest of the radar systems, called the Rapid-DOW, sends out six radar
beams simultaneously. By raking the sky six times faster than traditional
single-beam radars, Rapid-DOW can visualize three-dimensional volumes in
five-to-ten seconds and observe boundary layer rolls, wind gusts, embedded
tornadoes and other phenomena as they evolve. " 

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