Evaluating Wind Turbine Effects on NEXRAD Radar

Weather radars are an essential tool for weather forecasting. They operate by rapidly sending out microwave pulses and measuring what signals return and the time it takes to return. This provides a measure of reflectivity which can then be interpreted as precipitation intensity. Doppler radar is also able to detect motion toward or away from the radar which is extremely helpful in severe weather forecasting and identifying rotation. Because of their method of operation, radars are susceptible to interference from their surroundings, including buildings, trees, and most notably for this study, wind turbines. An average wind turbine can stand at a hub height of 90 meters with a rotor diameter of 140 meters. Newer turbines can have hub heights reaching 120 meters with rotor diameters of 150 meters. These staggering heights mean they interfere with a wide spatial range of radar measurements, but it’s their movement that makes radar use near turbines especially difficult. This study will serve as a case study into next generation weather radars (NEXRAD) operated by the National Weather Service (NWS) and investigate cases of severe weather in areas with wind turbines to evaluate how moving wind turbines can appear on NEXRAD. This will provide more insight into wind turbine effects on NEXRAD outputs and allow for greater forecasting adjustments in areas with high wind turbine density.