Durango Radar Experiment 2010

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The goals of this project are to demonstrate the gap-filling potential of a small Doppler radar within the coverage area of the National Weather Service WSR-88D radar at Grand Junction and examine the terrain-induced circulations favorable for storm formation and motion. The NSSL’s mobile operational polarimetric X-band Doppler radar NOXP together with a large number of microphysical surface observation instruments (NCAR’s rain gauges, CU’s disdrometers, CU’s microwave rain radar, NCAR’s surface mesonet stations) were deployed in the vicinity of Durango, CO between July and August 2010. The radar was operated at the Durango airport, disdrometers and MRR were deployed at the Fort Lewis College in Durango (Figs. 2-5), and rain and rivergauges were deployed within the vicinity (see Fig. 1). Data collection at the various sites will provide insight into the variations of storm characteristics for different terrain profiles.

Figure1: Location of river and rain gauges used during the Durango Experiment. The mobile radar was located south of the Fort Lewis College Durango. The disdrometers and microwave rain radar were deployed at the Fort Lewis College campus.

Figure 2: View to the north taken at the location of the disdrometers and microwave rain radar at the Fort Lewis College.

Figure 2: View to the east taken at the location of the disdrometers and microwave rain radar at the Fort Lewis College.

Figure 3: View to the south taken at the location of the disdrometers and microwave rain radar at the Fort Lewis College

Figure 4: View to the west taken at the location of the disdrometers and microwave rain radar at the Fort Lewis College

Online rain gauge information (Be sure to click on the ‘PRECIP’ button in the upper right to toggle between streamflow and precip. You can also adjust the date along the bottom of the chart.)

East Fork San Juan River

Rio Blanco Below Blanco Diversion Dam