An Online Platform for Near-Real-Time Visualization of Tropical Cyclone Aircraft Flight Data

To support the National Hurricane Center in their goal to better tropical cyclone intensity and track forecasting in support of disaster management and mitigation efforts several operational and research sensors are flown aboard National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Aircraft Operations Center (NOAA AOC) WP-3D aircraft to gather direct observations within current storms. One such sensor is the Imaging Wind and Rain Airborne Profiler (IWRAP) . Mounted aboard NOAA WP-3D aircraft, IWRAP is a dual C- and Ku-band doppler radar capable of measuring winds and reflectivity profiles deep into the hurricane boundary layer (HBL), including the near-surface interface. Additionally, the Ka-band Interferometric Radar Altimeter (KaIA) is mounted on the same aircraft to provide measurements of significant wave height in TC environments, providing valuable insight into the sea state during storms. Presenting and interpreting these data can be challenging, especially so during high-profile, threatening storms where timeliness is of utmost importance. It is imperative that these observations are presented quickly and efficiently while remaining as informative as possible.

As an ongoing goal of NOAA’s Ocean Surface Winds Team (OSWT), data from IWRAP and KaIA are processed into high-quality imagery that is then uploaded in near-real-time online (https://manati.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/AircraftData.php) during aforementioned TC flights to support NHC forecasting efforts. Images are processed and uploaded within minutes of a successful pass through the target storm for public viewing to provide unprecedented views into TCs with enhanced user interaction at the forefront of development, where two options are presented for viewing. The uniqueness of these images is in their ability to provide 3-dimesnional look into wind structure within strongest rain bands of the observed TC. Within the first set images are presented in a static, low-bandwidth formats for quick viewing with internet bandwidth limitations in mind. The second set take those same static images and convert them into interactive formats, allowing users to interrogate the measurements further by using their cursor to zoom and pan the image as well as reading off precise location information, as well as actual wind speed, and direction observations. Data is presented in both geographical coordinates, and storm-relative coordinates. To allow for different data intercomparisons and near real time data validation the observations from IWRAP and co-located dropsonde winds are presented together with the aircraft flight level winds and surface winds from the Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer (SFMR). Combining these various data streams provides a continuous observational view from aircraft to surface with unprecedented near-real-time views into storms. These combined observations of wind and waves in near-real-time can provide a detailed, high-fidelity perspective into TC development and structure, forecasting efforts, and post-storm analysis that can prove invaluable in determining sea-state conditions and TC wind fields. Examples from 2021-2023 Atlantic hurricane seasons will be demonstrated and discussed.