Project Wind
Project-Wind: NWS Asks Spotters for Assistance on Wind Project...
The National Weather Service in Taunton, Massachusetts is requesting
the help of all spotters to kickoff a project on wind research.
The purpose of this project is to find out the effects of wind
on terrain and how long wind gusts have to be to cause damage
and how terrain conditions can cause negate wind damage.
Glenn Field, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, and the NWS Taunton
staff have been in discussions concerning wind speed and the effects
of terrain and wind instrument location on the speed of the wind. The
NWS Taunton staff is also interested in the sampling rate and type
of wind instrument used as different sampling rates have resulted
in different wind gust reports. An experiment done with a spotter
in Taunton has shown that a wind instrument with a sampling rate
of 1 second intervals as opposed to an instrument with a sampling
rate of 2.2 seconds can result in as much as a 15 MPH difference
in the wind speed. Meterologically, the 1 second sampling rate
can show the most precise measure of the strongest wind speed
but at times no damage has occurred when this sampling rate
measures a higher wind.
The NWS ASOS and official observation stations use a 5 second
sampling rate to measure wind speed, it is known that Davis
Instruments uses a 2.2 second sampling rate, and that Peet
Brothers and Heathkit use a 1 second sampling rate. Typically,
Wind Advisory and High Wind Warnings are based on the 5 second
sampling rate and part of this investigation is to determine
if it needs to be based on a lower sampling rate.
Glenn Field has requested the following information from spotters
who have wind instrumentation:
-Type of Equipment
-Sampling rate of wind instrument (check user manual if not known)
-Approximate Elevation of house above sea level
-Location on house, roof or tower of the wind instrument (i.e.:
top of tower, on roof awning, on chimney etc. be as descriptive
and precise as possible.)
-Appoximate Elevation of wind instrument.
-Terrain effects (i.e.: Ground slopes up, slopes down, several big
hills blocking instrument at that elevation
etc. explain in 3 or 4 descriptive sentences)
-Also say if the wind instrument is blocked by trees or other
types of terrain.
-Any visibility into how the wind instrument is desgined to measure
wind to see if the design of the instrument has any effects.
Even if your wind instrument is not up very high, and is blocked by
terrain, it would be great if you can send your information to NWS
as it may give a better idea of how wind is effected by tree and
terrain blockages.
Please distribute this information to as many as spotters and
organizations as possible so that the widest spectrum of wind
instrument information can be obtained. Wind instrumentation
that is located at schools and other non-NWS sites can also
be included in this analysis. This whole project writeup
will be posted separately on the Eastern Mass. ARES/RACES/SKYWARN
Home Page.
This information will also be useful to the National Hurricane
Center as we will have an accurate record of wind instrument
information, terrain effects, elevation and sampling rate to
help the National Hurricane Center research wind speeds in a
tropical system.
Send all completed information via email to Glenn Field and myself
so that we can keep a record of this information:
Glenn Field: glenn.field@noaa.gov
Rob Macedo: rmacedo@ma.ultranet.com
If you do not have email and receive information on this project
send the information via regular mail to:
Project Wind
National Weather Service Taunton Mass.
445 Miles Standish Boulevard
Taunton, Mass. 02780
ATTENTION: GLENN FIELD
Thanks to all spotters for their assistance in this project.
Respectfully Submitted,
Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
SEMCARES Emergency Coordinator
Pager #: (508) 354-3142
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 1-800-445-2588 Ext.: 72929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@pop.ma.ultranet.com
Packet Address: KD1CY @ AA1FS
http://www.ultranet.com/~rmacedo
Back to the Eastern Mass. ARES/RACES/SKYWARN homepage