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<br />---'--;_~---:-:c c.,.,:,:'' .., <br /> <br />- . ;:_~f-' r~ ,- .... .. . <br /> <br />C) <br /> <br /> <br />RECEIVED <br /> <br />NEWSLETTER 90 - 13 <br /> <br />NJG 0 1 '90 <br />001 roo WATER <br />OOIl!V.~TION <br />BoAA6 <br /> <br />FOR THE WEEK JULY 21 - JULY 27, 1990 <br /> <br />GENERAL INTEREST:So far in .July the radar site in Lakin has <br />received 5.56 inches of rainfall, about 3.25 inches in the paet <br />week alone; cloud seeding operations were conducted in 5 of the <br />past 9 days, Many other places in the regiolL have had more <br />rainfall and some have had less for the same pe,iod. In reviewing <br />the significant rainfall episodes of the past 9 days we frequently <br />are reminded of just how "cha,otic" daily rainfall pattern can be: <br />We see sevez-e storms developing t"andomly in tmly one at'ea, cloud <br />mergers, gust fronts from collapsing severe storms causing storm <br />development at great distances from the original storm---ma,ny <br />becoming severe themselves, we see severe storms "Ilifting their <br />dil'l;>ctj,on of movement' when they strongly intensify and veering to <br />frOlll a previously established track; the list could go on and on. <br /> <br />It should be apparent, after 15 years of cloud seeding in <br />western c.nd southwesterll KaIJ.sb.~1 tlI"ea rainfall is not decreasing; <br />if any Lldllg, it's being increased as expected in our stated program <br />objectives. If numbers regarding the amount of l~infall increase <br />being derived on tlle pr'ogram are statistically "hard to get a <br />handle on", Ne should blame the statistical l\lethDds used, not the <br />technology. The tecbnology of cloud seeding has a scientific basis, <br />in fact. The pusltion of Groundwater District #1 is that there is <br />a very 1'8al problem of not being able to adequately measur'e, or <br />quantify. the results of our activity---not th&t rainfall, increases <br />are not happening. This pt'ohlem haa; been wJ.th us throughout the <br />historIc of 601el).oe---l t. cant inues today. Maj or discover'ies are <br />made only aft.,r theor iea are al)le to be proven dl'H14.iCt i ve 1.y or when <br />instr~roentation is sophisticated enou8h to be able to measure, or <br />document 8Cllll8-Lhing pl"CJperl.y. Statisticians ~,tU 3. la,ok the needed <br />sophistication lu jJ,'uf'8rly evaluate our program. 'lihat seems odd to <br />us is the l",<.;k of r8$ponslvene,,;s at higtlE!r state government levels <br />to n.H,;olve t.he issue. Weather Illudificaticm continues to be an <br />unwanted child in the state's water plan when it shOUld be the <br />reve,se oase. <br /> <br />OP~RAtlONS: This wllS an active week Witll six days of cloud s,eeding <br />operations either to r..duee hail, increase t-ajnfall or both. Trlere <br />were tNO days upon which cloud seeulu8 was per-formed in Colorado. <br /> <br />JULY 2lst---OPERATIONAL DAY #29: By mid-afternoon dozens of small <br />radar echoes began appearinB acnlSS the NW and N portions of t.he <br />target areI', Two cloud base planes were lnitislly scrambled for <br />rain ,,-ugmentation se<;>,dJ.n8" Seeding began at 3: Q3 p. m., MDT, in <br />Greeley and Wichita counties. Around 4 p.m. there wa~ a point. of <br />con"'u"ger>.ce in W. Wic111t1> County where two lines of growing storms <br />were attempting to mex"8"" It Nas within thiS area, that an intense <br />storm d<.:veloped. Seeding Was c.cmcentrated entirely upon that <br />storlll. The thir'd base plane a180 assisted seeding <\8 th", storm <br />pushed direotly SSE through central and eastern Kearny County into <br />SW Finney and Nil' Haskell counties. As the storm moved southerly, <br />