Thanks to the same NOAA that conservatives consistently want to abolish, residents of Washington State, meteorologists, and weather weenies alike have a new tool with which to forecast, observe and research.
A new weather radar was put into public service last Wednesday. The radar -- KLGX in Langley Hill, WA -- provides Washington State residents a new way to see the Pacific Northwest's notoriously intense storms as they approach the coastline.
For years, folks in this area knew that a storm was approaching through ground/air observations and satellite imagery, but had no way other way to visualize them since most of the radars in WA/OR are too far inland to see low-level precipitation beyond the shoreline.
This new radar, just 73 feet above sea level and 3 miles from the coast, will vastly help forecasters fine-tune their forecasts and provide residents more accurate and timely warnings for severe weather. Sen. Maria Cantwell secured $9,000,000 for this weather radar project in two bills (2009 omnibus appropriations bill and 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act), and construction began earlier this year.
In a June 2010 press release announcing that the NWS would receive and refurbish a used weather radar from the Air Force to utilize in Washington, the Senator said the following in a press release:
“Although Washington bears the brunt of wintertime Pacific storms, our weather radar coverage has been shockingly inadequate, putting lives and property at risk,” said Senator Cantwell.
That's an understatement. The following images are radar coverage maps from the only two radars in the Pacific Northwest that are close to the coast -- KATX, located on Camano Island north of Seattle, and KRTX, located about 16 miles northwest of Portland OR.
The green areas show radar coverage for levels below 6,000 feet. The yellow shows radar coverage between 6,000 and 10,000 feet, and the blue shows radar coverage above 10,000 feet.
KATX (Seattle/Tacoma Radar):
KRTX (Portland OR Radar):
See that? Virtually no coverage of the low-levels off the Pacific coast from the OR/WA border up to the WA/Canada border.
Compare those coverage maps to this estimated coverage map from the NWS for the new radar:
That's an amazing improvement over having pretty much nothing out there.
Here's what the radar looks like today, by the way:
Thanks to Sen. Cantwell (D-WA) and gummint-run NOAA, Washington's 6.6 million residents can sleep a little easier at night knowing forecasters can better warn them of what's coming ashore.
The next problem? This:
Precious little radar coverage in coastal central Oregon. Ask Sen. Wyden and Sen. Merkley to do something about it. It's worth it.
Notes
- Here's the NWS link to the Langley Hill (KLGX) radar.
- Washington State University has a great page devoted to the new KLGX radar.
- You can read more about the new KLGX radar from the Seattle WFO (WFO=Weather Forecast Office), which operates the radar.
- Radar coverage maps can be seen by clicking a location on this NCDC site, and clicking "Coverage Map" on the next page.