“We will be doing
WHAT IS
meticulous lab work to
try and recreate what
we found out here
“
DR. IAN GIAMMANCO
continued from page 3
NEXT STEPS
Brown, Giammanco and other IBHS researchers will continue their work to better
understand hailstones, which will help reduce the property damage caused by hail.
In addition to recreating hailstones and providing valuable data for dual-polarization radar, IBHS will conduct small panel tests, and
work on developing platforms that could record hailstone information as they fall during a passing storm.
“Overall, we are going down the correct
road,” Giammanco says. “We are getting
there, but it will take time to get everything
correct.”
Dual-Polarization
Radar?
Dual-polarization radar sends and receives both
horizontal and vertical pulses of energy, providing
a much more informative two-dimensional picture
of severe weather. Conventional Doppler radars
only send out a horizontal pulse of energy that gives
forecasters a one-dimensional picture of severe
weather.
By providing more information about the type of
precipitation in the atmosphere and its intensity,
size, and location, dual-polarization radars increase
the accuracy of forecasts and allow for more
accurate and timely severe weather warnings. In
addition, dual-polarization more clearly detects
airborne tornado debris, which allows forecasters
to confirm if a tornado is on the ground and causing
damage.
The first operational radar upgraded to dualpolarization was at Vance Air Force Base near Enid,
Okla., on March 8, 2011. All dual-polarization
upgrades have been completed at every NWSoperated Doppler radar in the U.S.
(SOURCE: NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION)
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Disaster Safety Review | 2013