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03 February 2010: New Wind Speed Record. There is ongoing discussion concerning the new WMO-adopted wind speed record of 253 mph in Australia recorded in 1996 as it compares to the
301 mph
wind speed measured by a DOW in a tornado 1999. Comparing surface-based anemometer wind speeds, such as the Australia measurement, and DOW-radar measurements is a complex endeavor. The DOW measurement was from about 32 m (100 feet) above the surface, while the anemometer measurement was collected at 10 m AGL. In most situations, the 10 m wind is weaker than the 32 m wind, so the DOW measurement of 301 mph might be equivalent to 200-270 mph at 10 m. But this depends strongly on surface roughness and other quantities. However, in tornadoes, winds near the surface, 5-20 m AGL might be equally or even more intense to those measured at 30-100 m AGL. The DOW measured the speed of rain and debris spinning around the tornado and these may have been moving somewhat slower than the surrounding air so the true airspeed in the region of the DOW measurement may have been higher than 301 mph. There are also different time averaging effects in radar versus anemometer measurements. CSWR's position is that the 253 mph anemometer and the 301 mph DOW measurement cannot be compared easily and should both be considered as extreme measurements of their particular type, with 253 mph certainly being the strongest WMO-accepted anemometer-based 10 m agl wind speed measured to date.
June 8th, 2009:
Vortex2: Home run for the team - Good predictions led to a successful tornado intercept for Vortex2 in Wyoming.
Here s how it all cam together for the team to be in the right place at the exact right time.  Video on The Weather Channel / weather.com
May 2009: This spring,
VORTEX2 - more than 40 cars and trucks, carrying more than 80 scientists and crew members - is crossing the Great Plains on the hunt for tornadoes. Hunters hope to learn more about what causes the twisters, and how to predict them earlier and more accurately.
Josh Wurman is president of the Center for Severe Weather Research in Boulder, Colorado, and a VORTEX2 member. He is now looking for storms in Nebraska, and joins host Neal Conan to talk about 15 years studying tornadoes.
Listen to the NPR (National Public Radio) on-line
May 2009: A
BLOG maintained by Josh Wurman, President of CSWR, is established. Now, you can trace all the up-to-date, if not up-to-hour, activities of chasers on-line.
April 2009:
VORTEX2 preparation continues for the 2009-2010 experiment. CSWR will deploy 9 vehicles and over 20 scientists/crew, including three DOWs and 4 Mobile Mesonets deploying 12 Tornado Pods as one of the core teams in VORTEX2. Filming for Discovery Channel's Storm Chasers will follow Joshua Wurman and a DOW.
April 2009: CSWR, DOWs, Wurman in recent popular publications:
Washington Post 20 April 2009
Discover Magazine
Scientific American top 10 atmospheric science experiments
Scientific American again
Physics World
14 September 2008: CSWR DOW teams intercepted hurricane Ike, deploying to the landfall point in Galveston. A DOW was deployed in eastern Galveston, 10 wind measuring platforms were distributed on the eastern Galveston seawall, the Galveston causeway, and the Texas City seawall, two mobile mesonet vehicles, each deploying a disdrometer were deployed at either ends of the Galveston causeway. The DOW collected many hours of data over the ultra-fine scale surface array during. The center of the eye passed nearly exactly over the east Galveston surface array. DOW radar data from inside the eye reveal mesovortices rotating around the eye, likely enhancing winds and damage in the areas they cross. The mesovortices likely crossed over the fine-scale surface arrays, so high resolution (50 m gating) and surface data will be compared. Crew who weathered the hurricane in Galveston were extracted safely and are on their way home.
Pic of DOW, Mesonet, Pod on East Galveston Sea Wall
| Pic of DOW deployed in Galveston for landfall |
Preliminary deployment map, radar images, other data (UTC times are correct. CST times 1 hour fast.)
NSF Press Release
02 February 2008: The DOWs, including the two 'conventional' DOWs and the multi-beam Rapid-Scan DOW, have become National Science Facility (NSF) National Facilities. Aspiring PI's can request DOWs for NSF-funded and other projects using procedures analagous to those used for SPOL, CHILL and other facilities. Deployment costs for NSF-funded projects are supported through the 'Deployment Pool'. As procedures and forms are in development, interested parties should contact CSWR directly using the contact information at the bottom of this page.
Information concerning how to request NSF facilities
28 November 2007:
DOW-Motion-corrected preliminary radar images of Seward, Kansas tornado of 5 May 2007. (23MB)
24 August 2007: CSWR and the DOWs have concluded their participation in COPS program in Germany/France. The
ROTATE-2007 has concluded.
  
Link to ROTATE-2006 --
Link to ROTATE-2007
13 October 2005: DOW-related Rita Links. The deployment Very Preliminary Plots
2005 DOW Hurricane Missions
DOWs in Frances and Ivan 2004
Safety: CSWR does not recommend that anyone follow our research vehicles. Anyone who chooses to follow our research teams does so at their own risk.
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