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Full-Text Articles in Meteorology

Evaluating The Performance Of National Water Model Snow Simulations In The Northeastern United States Using Advanced Mesonet Observations, Patrick William Naple Jan 2021

Evaluating The Performance Of National Water Model Snow Simulations In The Northeastern United States Using Advanced Mesonet Observations, Patrick William Naple

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Snow is a critical component in the hydrologic cycle and critical to runoff in many regions. While not as deep or persistent as snow in the Western United States (WUS) , snow in the Northeastern US (NEUS) is critical to water resource management and flood forecasting. For hydrological applications, snow is simulated using coupled hydrology models . These models couple numerical weather models, land surface models, and channel routing models that simulate water transport. One such coupled hydrology model is the NOAA National Water Model (NWM), implemented in 2016. The NWM runs a specific configuration of the WRF-Hydro community model. …


The Impact Of Initial Snow Conditions On The Numerical Weather Simulation Of A Northern Rockies Atmospheric River, William Rudisill, Alejandro Flores, James Mcnamara Jan 2021

The Impact Of Initial Snow Conditions On The Numerical Weather Simulation Of A Northern Rockies Atmospheric River, William Rudisill, Alejandro Flores, James Mcnamara

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Snow’s thermal and radiative properties strongly impact the land surface energy balance and thus the atmosphere above it. Land surface snow information is poorly known in mountainous regions. Few studies have examined the impact of initial land surface snow conditions in high-resolution, convection-permitting numerical weather prediction models during the midlatitude cool season. The extent to which land surface snow influences atmospheric energy transport and subsequent surface meteorological states is tested using a high-resolution (1 km) configuration of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model, for both calm conditions and weather characteristic of a warm late March atmospheric river. A set …


An Observational Study Of Winter Weather-Related Traffic Crashes In Nebraska, Jacob Petr Aug 2019

An Observational Study Of Winter Weather-Related Traffic Crashes In Nebraska, Jacob Petr

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The responsibilities of meteorologists have evolved over time from simply providing a forecast to needing to also understand how those predictions will impact society and then communicating those risks in a clear, concise, and consistent manner. Increased motor vehicle crash numbers due to adverse weather conditions represent one such impact worthy of further study. Snowfall, in particular, significantly increases the overall risk of a crash, which can result in extensive property damage, severe injuries, and even loss of life.This project seeks to supplement traffic crash information in Nebraska by assessing how snowfall impacts crashes across the state. Crash data were …


On The Dynamics, Thermodynamics, And Forecast Model Evaluation Of Two Snow-Burst Events In Southern Alberta, Shawn M. Milrad, John R. Gyakum, Kelly Lombardo, Eyad H. Atallah Jun 2018

On The Dynamics, Thermodynamics, And Forecast Model Evaluation Of Two Snow-Burst Events In Southern Alberta, Shawn M. Milrad, John R. Gyakum, Kelly Lombardo, Eyad H. Atallah

Shawn M. Milrad

Two high-impact convective snowband events (‘‘snow bursts’’) that affected Calgary, Alberta, Canada, are examined to better understand the dynamics and thermodynamics of heavy snowbands not associated with lake effects or the cold conveyor belt of synoptic-scale cyclones. Such events are typically characterized by brief, but heavy, periods of snow; low visibilities; and substantial hazards to automobile and aviation interests. Previous literature on these events has been limited to a few case studies across North America, including near the leeside foothills of the U.S. Rockies. The large-scale dynamics and thermodynamics are investigated using the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) North …


Analysis Of The Precipitation Detection Algorithm For The Geonor T-200b Precipitation Gauge To Improve Accuracy, Megan Lerman, Robert K. Goodrich Jan 2016

Analysis Of The Precipitation Detection Algorithm For The Geonor T-200b Precipitation Gauge To Improve Accuracy, Megan Lerman, Robert K. Goodrich

STAR Program Research Presentations

In an effort to improve the precipitation detection algorithm for the Geonor All Weather Precipitation Gauge, an automated truth algorithm has been created to detect errors in the original algorithm. The original algorithm detects precipitation in real time and uses the rate of precipitation to indicate an event. The automated truth does not detect in real time, and focuses on precipitation accumulation to indicate an event. Since the automated truth is delayed, it is able to consider the data collected before and after the point it is analyzing. The automated truth is already more accurate than the original algorithm but …


On The Dynamics, Thermodynamics, And Forecast Model Evaluation Of Two Snow-Burst Events In Southern Alberta, Shawn M. Milrad, John R. Gyakum, Kelly Lombardo, Eyad H. Atallah Jun 2014

On The Dynamics, Thermodynamics, And Forecast Model Evaluation Of Two Snow-Burst Events In Southern Alberta, Shawn M. Milrad, John R. Gyakum, Kelly Lombardo, Eyad H. Atallah

Publications

Two high-impact convective snowband events (‘‘snow bursts’’) that affected Calgary, Alberta, Canada, are examined to better understand the dynamics and thermodynamics of heavy snowbands not associated with lake effects or the cold conveyor belt of synoptic-scale cyclones. Such events are typically characterized by brief, but heavy, periods of snow; low visibilities; and substantial hazards to automobile and aviation interests. Previous literature on these events has been limited to a few case studies across North America, including near the leeside foothills of the U.S. Rockies. The large-scale dynamics and thermodynamics are investigated using the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) North …


The Motion Of Mesoscale Snowbands In Northeast U.S. Winter Storms, Jaymes Kenyon Jan 2013

The Motion Of Mesoscale Snowbands In Northeast U.S. Winter Storms, Jaymes Kenyon

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The distribution of snowfall accumulation attending winter storms is a product of both precipitation intensity and duration. Many heavy snowfall events are associated with distinct mesoscale snowbands that strongly modulate snowfall accumulation. Mesoscale snowbands are known to be favored within environments characterized by frontogenesis in the presence of weak moist symmetric or gravitational stabilities. Although the development of mesoscale snowbands often can be anticipated at 24–36-h ranges, anticipating band residence time at a fixed location remains a forecasting challenge. However, given that snowband residence time is related to characteristics of band motion, improved understanding of band motion presents an opportunity …


Spatial And Temporal Trends Of Snowfall In Central New York - A Lake Effect Dominated Region, Justin Joseph Hartnett Jan 2013

Spatial And Temporal Trends Of Snowfall In Central New York - A Lake Effect Dominated Region, Justin Joseph Hartnett

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Central New York is located in one of the snowiest regions in the United States, with the city of Syracuse, New York the snowiest metropolis in the nation. Snowfall in the region generally begins in mid-November and lasts until late-March. Snow accumulation occurs from a multitude of conditions: frontal systems, mid-latitude cyclones, Nor'easters, and most notably lake-effect storms. Lake effect snowfall (LES) is a difficult parameter to forecast due to the isolated and highly variable nature of the storm. Consequently, studies have attempted to determine changes in snowfall for lake-effect dominated regions. Annual snowfall patterns are of particular concern as …


Verification Of The Cobb Snowfall Forecasting Algorithm, Josh Barnwell Apr 2011

Verification Of The Cobb Snowfall Forecasting Algorithm, Josh Barnwell

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Forecasting storm total snow accumulation is one of the most difficult aspects of meteorological forecasting. The forecaster has to interpret three main variables in order to forecast snowfall accurately. These forecasting variables are the duration of the snowfall, the amount of liquid water the storm will produce, and the snow density or snow ratio. With the advancement of computer models in recent history, the need for a quick and easy interpretation of these variables has grown, and to improve on previous forecasting techniques’ disadvantages with including the three snow forecasting variables. The Cobb Method snowfall forecasting algorithm utilizes model data …


The Investigation Of Snowfall Rate Using Optical Techniques, Gerald J. Mulvey Jan 1973

The Investigation Of Snowfall Rate Using Optical Techniques, Gerald J. Mulvey

Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Experiments involving the attenuation of light by falling snow, or hydrometeors in general, lend themselves to the study of at least two problems of meteorological interest. The first problem is that of visibility in adverse weather conditions, and the second is that of finding a better method to measure precipitation. From the late 1940's through the late 1960's, various investigators have attempted to apply forward light scattering theory in the geometric optics range (α ≥ 200, where α = (2π_r)/λ, λ=wavelength and r = radius)* to quantitatively describe the attenuation of a light beam, and thereby visibility changes due to …