Soudings Looking Bad

[rdale]

The sounding "upgrades" are getting worse...

More sites with the "new and improved" GPS are losing wind data and also finding temp/humidity to be broken often. NWS HQ says it's just a temporary glitch in the desert areas. Minneapolis, Tampa and Maine are probably not typical desert soundings ;>

Bob Maddox has an updated article at http://madweather.com/

From what I've heard, there might be a fix by the end of the year. Until that point they will continue to deploy the new system and upgrade them with the broken sensors.

 

[Paul Austin]

I'll add to the list of "desert" locales just from the past two and a half days. (Click the site location in the map at left for the specific sounding to appear.):

Wilmington, OH (ILN)
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/soundings/07082512_OBS/

Lincoln, IL (ILX)
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/soundings/07082400_OBS/

Buffalo, NY (BUF)
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/soundings/07082312_OBS/

Lake Charles, LA (LCH)
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/soundings/07082400_OBS/

Jacksonville, FL (JAX)
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/soundings/07082312_OBS/


One that might actually fit at least a near-"desert" locale:

Midland, TX (MAF)
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/soundings/07082412_OBS/


Obviously some examples are worse than others, but I hope the glitches are worked out before next Spring.

 

[rdale]

Spring?!? I do lake-effect forecasting in northern Michigan & UP and Gaylord is getting the "upgrade" right now... Can't imagine how much fun there will be in predicting snowfall locations / amounts with no low level wind data. Checked three sites tonight - TLH missing winds below 700mb and SGF below 500mb!

 

[Ed Schoenborn]

I did not know there was a Wilmington, OH. ILN is Wilmington, North Carolina. I just now looked at the sounding. It was for OUN not ILN. Ed

 

[Robert Dewey]

ILN is Wilmington, North Carolina.

ILN is NWSFO Wilmington, OH --> http://www.erh.noaa.gov/iln

National Weather Service
Wilmington Ohio Weather Forecast Office
1901 South State Route 134
Wilmington, OH 45177

In addition, each of those links defaults to OUN... you have to select the office.

 

[Ed Schoenborn]

Pardon my error. Wilmington, NC is ILM not ILN. Ed

 

[Chris Geelhart]

Spring?!? I do lake-effect forecasting in northern Michigan & UP and Gaylord is getting the "upgrade" right now... Can't imagine how much fun there will be in predicting snowfall locations / amounts with no low level wind data. Checked three sites tonight - TLH missing winds below 700mb and SGF below 500mb!

Gaylord never had problems with limiting angles (i.e. missing winds) with the old system?

 

[Robert Dewey]

Not sure about the "old system", but there is definitely more problems with this supposed "upgrade"

 

[Chris Geelhart]

Not sure about the "old system", but there is definitely more problems with this supposed "upgrade"

ILX has its 88D tower southeast of the upper air tracking equipment. In the old system, a NW wind flow usually resulted in large segments of missing wind data, due to limiting angles. Other sites probably had issues with limiting angles at different directions, depending on local obstructions. Missing winds is not a new experience in UA observations.

Having personally launched these sondes for a month now, I can say there is still a learning curve with them. The observer is supposed to be quality controlling the data as it comes in. However, as an observer, I have found myself struggling to determine whether the data issue is with the sonde itself, or because of the higher resolution data coming in (both raw data and the changes in the "significant level" criteria).

The missing GPS issue is separate from things like wild RH changes, which can be smoothed out or deleted.


(Standard disclaimer, my opinions only, etc etc.)

 

[Paul Austin]

For your sake, Rob, and everyone else in the Great Lakes area especially, I hope the kinks are worked out much sooner.

 

[rdale]

Gaylord never had problems with limiting angles (i.e. missing winds) with the old system?

Never? Of course not. But as often as the current system has? No way...
I only launched a ballon at APX once, so I'm far from a raob expert, but the site is on the high point of the area and the dome is south of the launch location.

 

[Glenn Rivers]

SH&**Y Soundings

This is intolerable, thank god that Maddox is following this problem. I wonder what these soundings are doing to the 12Z and 0Z NAM,GFS etc. in some cases it would not surprise me if the model runs would perform better with this sounding data omitted from the ingested data...maybe even use the progged 12 hour model soundings from earlier runs to replace the actual soundings, and see if this is an improvement. Something has to be done......we just can't go on like this!

 

[Rich Thompson]

FWIW - we've got the GEMPAK interpolation turned off, so that you'll see the actual reported winds on the SPC sounding plots.

Rich T.