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When Hurricane Katrina Approached the Gulf Coast Radar Clearly Showed the Threat
The Problem
The right diagram indicates the effective coverage of the Weather Service radars (at 3-km, above mean sea level), with hatching indicating substantial blockage.
Radar coverage for the lowest beam (.5 degree elevation angle) for the current network. Red areas indicate no coverage below 8000 m (25,000 ft). Radar coverage calculations by Ken Westrick
February 7, 2002
On the morning of 7 February 2002 an intense low center moved into the central Oregon coast, with absolutely no warnings by the National Weather Service. Produced strong winds with gusts exceeding 70 mph
A surprise storm in southern Oregon on February 7, 2002 caused massive tree falls and damage NO WARNINGS!!
The Implications of Poor Coastal Radar Coverage With no low level Doppler wind and reflectivity from radar, critical warnings and weather guidance over the coastal zone are degraded. No assistance for emergency situations, pollutant spills, and the like.
When the New Carisa grounded Near Coos Bay, Oregon, there was no radar coverage to help manage salvage operations.
The Implications of Poor Coastal Radar Coverage There is no radar coverage of the heavy orographic precipitation on the western and southern sides of the Olympics and coastal mountains.thus, degrading flood and river forecasting.
The Implications of Poor Coastal Radar Coverage There is a distinct lack of weather data offshore for use in initializing weather prediction models along and off the coast. A coastal radar would provide both Doppler winds and reflectivities (where it is raining) that could be assimilated into the models. Without such radars, future shortterm forecast skill of weather features approaching our coast will be limited.
An Extraordinary Event
Hurricane-Force Winds Struck the Entire Washington Coast
At North Head sustained (5 minute average) winds reached 126 mph, with a maximum oneminute wind of 150 mph before the sensor failed. At Tatoosh Island, 150 miles to the north, winds reached 110 mph. At Astoria, on the south side of the Columbia, there were unofficial reports of gusts to 130 mph.
An Extraordinary Event
It was estimated that 80% of the mature timber near North Head was razed during this storm and 7-8 BILLION board feet of timber was downed over coastal Washington eight times that blown down by Mt. St. Helens, and roughly the entire current annual harvest for the entire Pacific Northwest today.
As a result, this event has become known as the The Olympic Blowdown Storm
The Most Extreme Northwest Windstorm: The Columbus Day Windstorm of 12 October 1962
Columbus Day 1962: At Cape Blanco there were 150 mph with gusts to 179! Strongest winds on bluffs and windward slopes of coastal orography
Feb. 13, 1979: Winds over 100 kts destroyed the Hood Canal Bridge Cost to replace: over 100 million dollars
Enterprise DWSR-8501S/K Doppler Radar. The National Weather Service has already purchased two of these to fill in their radar network.
Now
Coverage over the Pacific Northwest at or below 2-km: Where the real weather is!