CIMSS Satellite Proving Ground Activities for NOAA Testbeds
CIMSS and and the STAR Advanced Satellite Products Branch (ASPB) concluded five weeks of participation at the Norman, OK, NOAA Hazardous Weather Testbed (HWT) and two weeks at the Kansas City, MO, Aviation Weather Testbed this week.
CIMSS is providing convective cloud top cooling rate, nearcasting, and Weather Research Forecasting (WRF) model simulated geostationary satellite decision support products for forecaster evaluation at HWT as part of the NOAA GOES-R Proving Ground project.
An example of CIMSS convective Cloud Top Cooling Rate (CTCR) in use by forecasters at NOAA HWT on 13 June 2012, 30 minutes prior to radar issued warning. CTCR has been used to issue successful experimental severe thunderstorm warning with 30-60 minute lead-time prior to radar issued warning.
In parallel, CIMSS is providing satellite derived cloud top height, cloud type, fog/low cloud, convective cloud top cooling rate, nearcasting, overshooting-top/enhanced-V, and WRF simulated geostationary satellite decision support products for use in evaluation of impact on commercial aviation route planning. Forecaster feedback is available from the following blog internet sites: http://goesrawt.blogspot.com/ and http://goesrhwt.blogspot.com/.
