DES MOINES —
The National Weather Service in Des Moines is undergoing an upgrade, but it means the radar will be down for two weeks. According to the website, the radar is being retooled to handle new technology.
The dual-polarization radar represents a step up from the current doppler radar. Doppler radar does a good job of measuring how objects like rain, hail, or debris, are moving in relation to the radar. The radar can tell whether objects are being blown toward the radar or away from it, an important issue when storms hit; tight rotation indicates the potential for a tornado.
But traditional doppler radar does not measure vertical distances. So images on a radar screen are on a horozontal plane and can't easily be deciphered for size or shape. Adding a vertical pulse to the radar, making it a dual-polarization radar, should allow for that ability.
According to the NWS, "It is expected that this will result in significant improvements in the estimation of precipitation rates, the ability to discriminate between precipitation types (e.g. hail vs. rain), and the identification of non-meteorological returns, such as chaff, ground clutter, and smoke plumes from wildfires."
Precipitation rates could be particularly important. If a site receives two inches of rain in a day, it's soggy but usually unharmed. Two inches in an hour could trigger flash flooding, and better estimates could help warn people of the danger.
CNHI/SE Iowa
NWS radar upgrade coming
- CNHI/SE Iowa
-
-
Kebabs: Health kick on a stick
Grilling is a simple way to feed your family well this summer. Start with a lean meat and a healthful marinade and then allow the grill to strip away additional fat for a heart-healthy and waist-friendly final result. Plus, grilling caramelizes the natural sugars in foods, which adds flavor without additional calories and fat.
-
Boy Scouts: Yes to gay youths, no to adults
The Boy Scouts of America on Thursday ended its ban on openly gay youths but maintained a prohibition on gay adult leaders, a decision framed as a compromise but one that could lead to litigation and thousands of defections from one of America's largest youth organizations.
-
Rain for Memorial Day weekend, but not a washout
Forecasters say this weekend will see good chances of rain, but they don't expect a complete washout since the highest chance of storms is in the overnight and early morning hours.
-
Expert: Schools need shelters
Ninety-four percent of Oklahoma schools do not have tornado shelters, according to Gov. Mary Fallin, even though at least one weather expert says they should be standard. With two Moore schools destroyed in Monday’s EF-5 tornado — and ...
-
Twitter introduces website security tool after AP account hacked
Twitter is adding a new security tool to its website, making it harder for outsiders to gain access to accounts, a month after a false posting triggered a stock-market decline.
-
Siblings withstand storm in fridge
Brother and sister co-owners of a Chinese takeout restaurant huddled inside a refrigerator to survive Monday’s deadly tornado that claimed 24 lives.
-
Pursuit that began in Marion County ends in Wayne County
CORYDON — A pursuit that began in Marion County Tuesday evening ended in Wayne County Tuesday night. The two-hour, high speed chase that went through several counties, with an alleged short stint in Missouri as well, involved several agencies with a
-
Mom delivered baby as tornado struck
Shayla Taylor was so far along in labor that her nurses at Moore Medical Center decided not to move her when Monday's tornado hit. They waited out the storm in an operating room, where the wall disappeared as the tornado hit the building.
-
Stabbing trial pushed back
OTTUMWA -- The trial of an Ottumwa man accused of stabbing another man to death has been pushed back. Twenty-year-old Brandon Seim was charged in November 2011, when he was 18, with the stabbing death of Andy Madren, 34. When officers arrived at the
-
Offering a few helping hands
Two area women formed a business around the idea that people who have lost loved ones may need assistance in getting estates squared away.
- More CNHI/SE Iowa Headlines
-
Raw: Train Derails After Overpass Collapse
Raw: Rescues From San Antonio Flooding
Raw: French Soldier Stabbed in Throat Near Paris
Mayor: Person Killed in San Antonio Flooding
Raw: Apple 1 Computer Sells for More Than $650k
Hagel Urges Cadets to End Scourge of Sex Assault
Raw: Gay Rights Activists March in Ukraine
Bus Fire Kills 16 Children, Teacher in Pakistan
Raw: Pakistan Election Results Protested
Raw: Trucker Bumps I-5 Bridge Before Collapse
Raw: Texas Deputy Shot by Colo. Suspect Honored
Major Detours Following Wash. Bridge Collapse
American Held in Grisly Czech Murders
Raw: Jersey Shore Reopens for Summer
UK-bound Pakistan Plane Diverted, 2 Men Arrested
