SDSR2013SWWWE

The National Weather Service’s (NWS) primary mission is the protection of life and property of those residing in the United States and its territories. Using the Weather Surveillance Radar (WSR)–88D to interrogate storms, sample the atmosphere, and provide data for Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models is a key part in the NWS’ ability to fulfill its mission. As a result, the NWS has strategically placed its WSR-88D radars across the nation. The coverage these radars provide for severe and winter weather warnings was the primary driver for a given radar’s location. Even so, there still remains a coverage problem within the network of radars. For example, the lowest kilometer of the atmosphere is the most prominent area for the early detection of tornadoes. Given the curvature of the earth, the current radar network cannot adequately sample the lowest kilometer spatially. The use of the ARM radar data, real-time, will provide for a better coverage model, resulting in improved severe and winter weather warnings.

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