Southwest Colorado Mobile Radar Project
February, 2011
The Mobile Radar used last Summer is back for February 2011. The system will only be operational during storms for this portion of the research project. Steve Vasiloff and Ken Howard with the National Weather Service's National Severe Storms Laboratory (http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/), with support and in cooperation with Mike Meyers, NWS WFO, NOAA Grand Junction, State of Colorado DOLA/Department of Emergency Management; Colorado Water Conservation Board; Southwestern Water Conservation District
See wdssii.nssl.noaa.gov/web/wdss2/products/radar/noxp88d_loop.shtml for a simple comparison and
wdssii.nssl.noaa.gov/web/wdss2/products/radar/NOXP.shtml for more detail in the real time radar comparisons.
"NOXP" is the experimental radar at La Plata County Airport
"88D" is the NWS radar in Grand Junction
Please note this information is all experimental and has not been verified. Use it at your own risk.
September, 2010
In the Summer of 2010 the Four Corners was been given the opportunity to see all that it has been missing in the sky. La Plata, Archuleta, Montezuma and San Juan Counties (CO, NM, and UT) sit in what could be described as a black hole of radar coverage. Due to high mountain terrain and the curvature of the Earth, radar beams meant to watch our skies skip too high overhead to see the weather systems that impacts us. We depend greatly on Spotters, Law Enforcement and gut feelings to predict and monitor rain, snow, fog and hail. We generally know what happened but not what is about to happen.
This area is well known by the National Weather Service for having poor coverage and local Emergency Managers maintain a very close relationship with forecasters in Grand Junction, Albuquerque and Salt Lake City.
In 2009 we found a program with the potential of giving us a clear view of the skies that we have never had before. This was a research project through the University of Oklahoma and the National Severe Storm Laboratories that would bring a mobile radar station to areas of interest. Typically the radar would move around the country to watch Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Burn Areas and Blizzards for early warning systems or to study specific systems. Our project was developed to show how much storm activity was being missed by the National Radar in Grand Junction.
The Project runs through the month of August and consists of a Radar Truck placed on Bridge Timber Mountain South of Durango for 2 weeks and then at the Durango-La Plata Airport for 2-3 weeks more, 17 temporary rain gauges that will verify the radar data, 8 permanent real-time rain gauges and several hard working folks to operate the whole thing.
In the short time the Radar has been in operation, La Plata County OEM has used the radar to:
- Monitor storms and flash flooding events
- Assist La Plata County Road and Bridge with timing of operations
- Help Search and Rescue find windows of opportunity between rain and hail to perform several rescues
- Assisted the National Weather Service in issuing Severe Storm and Flood Warnings
For more information go to:
Durango Herald 2010-08-26 Weather Wise Article
National Severe Storms Lab Project Page
Real Time Imagery from the Mobile Radar (information is only available when radar is in operation, times are GMT which show 6 hours ahead of MST, Information is for Research purposes only)
For the 2010 SWCO Mobile Radar Project, La Plata County Office of Emergency Management teamed up with:
Archuleta County OEM
Southern Ute Indian Tribe Emergency Management
Durango-La Plata Airport
National Severe Storm Labs
National Weather Service
National Center for Atmospheric Research
University of Colorado
Fort Lewis College
Southwestern water Conservation District
Colorado Water Conservation District
Colorado State Division of Local Affairs
Colorado Office of Emergency Management
