Operational Demonstrations from a High-Impact Severe Weather Event During the 2024 Satellite Convective Applications Experiment

The Satellite Convective Applications Experiment experiment in NOAA's Hazardous Weather Testbed (HWT) provides an operational demonstration of new capabilities, algorithms, and products from satellites. Evaluations focus on forecaster understanding of experimental satellite data, visualizations in AWIPS, and best practices for potentially integrating these data into National Weather Service (NWS) operations. Five product suites were demonstrated by sixteen NWS forecasters including: 1) Geostationary Lightning Mapper Background and Data Quality Product: 2) GOES Radar Estimation via Machine Learning to Inform NWP: 3) Optical Flow Code for Tracking, Analysis, and Nowcasting Experiments (OCTANE): 4) Polar Hyperspectral Sounding (PHS) Model: 5) Probability of Severe LightningCast Model. Forecasters were provided these data alongside their currently operational datasets in a real-time simulated environment for convective warnings, decision support service, and mesoanalysis. Forecaster feedback was recorded through surveys, group discussions, and journal-style blog posts.

On 21 May 2024, these experimental data were demonstrated during an impactful severe weather event extending from eastern Nebraska to southern Wisconsin. Multiple convective hazards were expected in a complex and rapidly evolving mesoscale environment. This presentation will illustrate the mesoanalysis, convective monitoring, warning operations, and decision support service applications from NWS forecasters when demonstrating all five experimental satellite products. Their feedback from this unique scenario contributed to the forecaster-driven recommendations of the 2024 Satellite Convective Applications Experiment, including future avenues of product development, applications, training, and the potential for implementing these data operationally.