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Projects > M - O > NEXRAD

Preferred term

NEXRAD  

Definition

  • The NEXRAD system (also known as Weather Surveillance Radar - 1988 Doppler) is oneof NOAA's prime observation systems for acquiring information about meteorologicalconditions, and is also one of the key systems in NOAA's modernization and restructuring. Byusing Doppler radar technology, forecasters can observe the presence of precursor conditions ofsevere weather such as tornadoes, large hail and damaging thunderstorm winds. NEXRADallows for the detection of wind circulation patterns (e.g., mesocyclones) as precursors totornadic activity and provides data on the direction and speed of tornado cells once they form. NEXRAD also provides quantitative estimates of precipitation, which are important inforecasting flash floods, main stream river flooding and in water resource management. Thesevere weather and storm wind field detection capabilities offered by NEXRAD have contributedto a significant increase in the accuracy and timeliness of NWS warnings. The advantages ofNEXRAD ov! er conventional radars can be broken down into five basic areas: improvedsensitivity, improved resolutions, wind velocity estimation, automated data collection in threedimensions, and capability for scientific processing of data. The benefits of this system will continue to be improved through scientific advances inthe use of weather radar data, and through improved processing and data disseminationcapabilities. A NEXRAD Product Improvement (NPI) Program has been established to plan andimplement these continued improvements. The primary goal of the NPI Program is to modify,augment and improve upon the existing capabilities of the NEXRAD system so it can support, ina cost-effective and timely manner, known operational requirements, as well as thoserequirements that can reasonably be anticipated.The NWS is currently implementing two major upgrades to the NEXRAD system: theOpen Systems Radar Product Generator (ORPG) and the Open Systems Radar Data Acquisition(ORDA). ORPG will ! be deployed in the calendar year 2000-2002 time frame. ORDA isschedule d for deployment in the 2002-2004 time frame. The deployment of ORPG will enablethe NWS to implement many additional scientific products and to support better communicationscapabilities, including dissemination of base data as required. ORDA deployment will enableimprovements in data quality, including mitigation of range folding, also known as 'purple haze.' Work is also underway to develop and test a dual polarization capability for NEXRAD. Dual polarization is a radar signal transmission, reception and processing scheme that providesinformation on the relative height and width of precipitation targets. Significant improvementsare anticipated in estimating the amount of rainfall and identifying precipitation types such asrain, snow and hail. If the development and testing validate the promise. For more information, link to "http://205.156.54.206/pub/im/ptnr88d.pdf" (en)

Broader concept

URI

https://gcmd.earthdata.nasa.gov/kms/concept/dccc2b00-3905-4257-9959-123118efd4a2

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