AR Observatories

AR Observatories

Water Vapor Flux Analyses and Forecasts

map showing location of observatories
Location of observatories

The plots linked below show wind at various levels colored by speed, snow level/freezing layer (black dots/dashed line), integrated water vapor (cyan line), upslope wind speed (purple or brown bars), upslope integrated water vapor flux (blue line), and hourly precipitation (green or red bars) with time moving from right to left. Using tabs at the top left of the plot, users can choose to display observations only or observations and forecasts produced by the National Weather Service's hourly-updated weather forecast models. [ How to Read These Plots ]

Radar and Disdrometer Precipitation Analysis

map showing location of observatories
Location of observatories

The plots linked below compare precipitation observations from a vertically-pointing radar with similar observations from the closest WSR-88D scanning radar operated by the National Weather Service. Included are surface observations of precipitation from either an impact or an optical disdrometer and a tipping bucket rain gauge both collocated with the vertically-pointing radar. Precipitation accumulations are compared with estimates from NOAA's Multi-Radar, Multi-Sensor (MRMS) quantitative precipitation algorithms. Data shown for the previous 24 hours with time moving from left to right. [ How to Read These Plots ]

Snow Level Radars

map showing location of observatories
Location of observatories

The plots linked below display the snow level, the lowest elevation in the atmosphere where frozen precipitation melts and changes into rain as observed from vertically pointing precipitation radars. The background colored shading in each plot is the vertical velocity sensed by the radar and is closely related to the downward speed of the falling precipitation. The table included in each plot lists the snow level in meters and feet and the surface temperature in degrees Centigrade. [ How to Read These Plots ]