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<br />windspeed, gustiness and hail size froM any such storms. Also} <br />general weather outlooks for both Colorado and Kansas were <br />periodically obtained to provide advice on large-scale weather <br />patterns that were affecting, or could affect those states. <br /> <br />By 10:00 a.M., MDT, the Lakin meteorologists had usually <br />completed the analyses, discussed the weather situation for the day, <br />and arrived at a forecast of the expected weather conditions as well <br />as a daily operational plan. The forecast and operational plan were <br />then telephoned to the pilots at the sites remote from Lakin. Other <br />operational requirements, maintenance, administrative work, etc., were <br />arranged either before ~r after the dissemination of the forecast. <br /> <br />C. WEATHER SURVEILLANCE - VISUAL AND RADAR <br /> <br />After the forecast was produced, a visual watch and radar watch <br />was maintained along with periodic updates from the computer terminal <br />and media broadcasts. <br /> <br />WKWl1 pe\"sonnel have the \"esponsibility of monitoring weathe\" on a <br />24-hour a day basis. In order to reduce hail effectively, it is <br />extremely important to be able to identify potentially severe storms <br />and to bt? able t,Q st."ar't sJ.:?E:tding t.hem (;:t,S qUick Iy d.S is pClssible in <br />their life cycle. Recognition of benign clouds as opposed to <br />potentially destructive clouds require considerable experience. WKWM <br />pilots, as well as meteorologists, are able to visually distinguish <br />between the two types of clouds as a general matter of rule. Since <br />rapidly growing clouds are not "seen" by radar until relatively late <br />in their life cycle, WKWM personnel understand the importance attached <br />to the early identifi~ation of developirlg severe storms. Radar <br />becomes indispensable in the identification and tracking of severe <br />storms once they form. WKGMD #1 owns the radar system currently used <br />in the WKWM program, an Enterprise Electronics Corporation <br />5-centimeter wavele'lgth model, WR100-2. The normal operational mode <br />is the 100 n.m. range. The radar system also has a range-height <br />indicator CRHI) for vertical height measurements. An aircraft <br />interrogator/transponder flight tracking system is also incorporated <br />into the radar system. <br /> <br />Additional radar specifications and intrrogator/trallsponder <br />specificatiol15 are found in Apperldices F and 6, respectively. <br /> <br />During operational periods! measuremerlts of cloud location! <br />r.,eit]ht.} ma>d.ml...lffl intf"~nsi t.y, t.V::~il]ht.. of the 'l.S dBZ level and cloud hei9r1t. <br />distance above or below the tropopause are ro0tinely calculated by I~ur <br />computer and recorded both on a dat.a log and on COmplJter. Remal~ks <br />regar'ding significant events occurring during program operations are <br />also recorded in writing and/or on the COmplJter. Aceta~e ovel~lays are <br />hand drawn at 20-minute intervals for tleil suppression and at 20 or 80 <br />minut.e intervals for rainfall al~rgnlentation. On the ovel~lays are drawn <br />the radar echo positions and the primary storm intensity cellters as <br />well as the location of all aircraft. These overlays are later <br />photocopied for permanent reference purposes as well as fOl~ <br />p8~t"~ape~_tt~n~1 ~n~ly~ta PUPpOB8B. Storm activity versus &ir~rBft <br /> <br />17 <br />