As I’ve famous on a number of events, Oregon has a number of the worst climate radar protection within the nation, with an enormous radar hole off its central and southern coast and one other in jap Oregon
Essential climate options approaching the coast could be missed, decreasing the ability of short-term forecasts from western Oregon into western Washington. Maybe together with the missed Portland snowstorm of February 22.
Beneath is a Nationwide Climate Service radar protection map, with yellow indicating the areas of low-level protection (protection beneath 3000 ft above floor stage). The protection could be a lot worse close to sea stage. Western Washington and the Washington coast have good protection because of the Langley Hill radar (Hoquiam), the Camano Island radar north of Seattle, and the Portland radar.
However a lot of the Oregon Coast has no protection. The Portland radar is blocked by the coastal mountains at low ranges and the Medford radar is poorly positioned, positioned so excessive (7500 ft) that the radar beam reaches the coast at 13000 ft and is even greater offshore.
Jap Oregon is a radar catastrophe, with no protection for huge areas.
So what are we lacking with such poor radar protection? What would we see if a radar was there?
I suppose I can inform you, utilizing our regional high-resolution forecasting system.
Consider it or not, we are able to simulate what a radar picture could be like utilizing the 3-D precipitation produced by forecast fashions.
Contemplate yesterday night at 6 PM. A brief-term (2-h) forecast predicted heavy precipitation alongside and offshore of the central and southern Oregon coast. Western Oregon is experiencing showers, and a few precipitation has crossed the Cascades into jap Oregon.
Not examine that predicted precipitation to what echos indicated by mixture of all native radars on the similar time.
A giant distinction.
Nothing alongside the central and southern coast. Nothing instantly downstream of the Cascades in jap Washington. Enormous gaps in radar coverag.
Need one other instance? Contemplate March 2 at 10 AM. The mannequin predicted a potent entrance extending from off the Pacific into northwest Washington. Meteorologists must know the small print of such an vital characteristic.
The climate radars choose up the extension over land however NOTHING offshore. Very unhealthy.
We cannot assume that our fashions are all the time going to be right. Throughout some intervals, such because the current Portland snow occasion, our greatest numerical fashions are improper, even within the quick time period, and thus we want to have the ability to monitor what’s coming in offshore. Solely then can we offer the general public with dependable forecasts and warnings.
Trendy forecasting know-how permits info from the radars to be ingested into short-term forecasting fashions, such because the NOAA Excessive-Decision Fast Refresh (HRRR) modeling system. Thus, forecasts over western Washingon are improved as a result of we now have a coastal radar (Langley Hill)
Oregon has no such coastal radar and thus western Oregon’s forecasts are degraded.
Hopefully, a few of Oregon’s U.S. representatives and senators will take up this concern.
