Results From Satellite Product Evaluations in the Hazardous Weather Testbed (HWT)

The Hazardous Weather Testbed (HWT) has provided the GOES-R and JPSS Proving Grounds with an opportunity to conduct demonstrations of baseline and experimental products, along with future capabilities associated with the next generation of NOAA’s weather observing satellite constellation. Many of the products and capabilities of these satellites have shown the potential to improve forecasts and warnings of hazardous weather. During the experiment in the HWT, these products are evaluated by the National Weather Service (NWS) forecasters within a real-time, simulated warning operations environment. Researchers are brought together with forecasters to understand the needs and challenges of using this data in a real-time warning environment. These evaluations have served to enhance the collaboration between product developers and forecasters to further improve the future product for potential operational implementation. For 2019 the experiment was conducted Monday - Friday for six weeks in the Spring, running from April 22 through June 7. The 2019 satellite experiment was combined with a similar radar experiment operating at the same time to bring together the two observation platforms most used by forecasters during severe weather operations. This year included 36 participants including NWS forecasters, broadcast meteorologists, and forecasters from the U.S. Air Force. There were also a number of visiting scientists and product developers during the six week experiment.

Satellite products demonstrated during the combined experiment included: GOES-16/17 Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) Cloud and Moisture Imagery, baseline derived products, and numerous multispectral products, Geostationary Lightning Mapper total lightning products, the Probability of Severe (ProbSevere) statistical model, All-Sky LAP stability indices and Layered Precipitable Water products, the NOAA Unique Combined Atmospheric Processing System (NUCAPS) temperature and moisture profiles (experimental NUCAPS and gridded products), and a blended total precipitable water product. Results and feedback from the experiment will be presented along with some examples showing the forecaster usage of the products during a real-time severe weather warning situation.