[HiDARG-MEMBERS] NWS Weather Radar Imagery Displayed on NWS Websites

[Max Vaughan]

-----Original Message-----
From: Alan Polan [mailto:ke4trr at bmi.net] 
Sent: Sunday, December 27, 2020 18:15
Importance: High

There is a new NWS Pendleton Weather Forecast Office (WFO) page for 
displaying precipitation radar reflectivity from NWS Pendleton's WSR-88D 
Doppler radar station.

The change was necessitated by support ending for Adobe Flash Player, 
which meant that Adobe Flash Player could no longer be used as the 
default software to display NWS radar imagery on NWS WFO websites.

All NWS WFO websites are now using the new software for displaying NWS 
radar imagery.

The rollout of the aforementioned new software is a big disappointment.

NWS Headquarters is aware of the software issues.   Hopefully, 
programmers are working on redesigning the software to correct its 
shortcomings.

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) has a server 
that ingests 0.5° Reflectivity and 0.5° Velocity radar imagery from NWS 
radar stations.  This NWS radar imagery is available for display on a 
UCAR website.  The Graphical User Interface on this website is very 
intuitive and easy to use and it allows the display of NWS radar imagery 
over time periods greater than one hour as well as for time periods over 
the previous five days, which was not possible when Adobe Flash Player 
was used to display NWS radar imagery on NWS WFO websites.

The UCAR website has a map which shows the Call Signs for each NWS radar 
station.

The last step in the process of displaying NWS radar imagery involves 
clicking on the Call Sign on the map of the NWS radar station whose 
radar imagery you want to loop.

Here are the Call Signs for the NWS radar stations in the Pacific Northwest:

PDT - Pendleton

OTX - Spokane

RTX - Portland

ATX - Seattle

LGX - Langely Hill (on the Washington coast)

MAX - Medford

OBX - Boise

SFX - Pocatello

This is the UCAR website:

http://weather.rap.ucar.edu/radar/

Thanks.

Alan Polan
Umatilla County Sheriff's Office EOC Volunteer
Emergency Coordinator
Umatilla County ARES
DHS SHARES NCC Auxiliary Station
KE4TRR / NNA0AP