Enhanced Detection of Low-Altitude Features Using Negative Elevation Angles From Prototype Mountaintop WSR-88Ds

Since the early and mid-1990s, all WSR-88Ds employ pre-determined scanning strategies. Some radars are located on flat terrain, while others are on the tops of hills or mountains. The distinct disadvantage of mountaintop radars is not being able to detect critical weather phenomena within the lowest several kilometers above the population centers and the surrounding terrain. It is because the radars send signals up into space instead of down over these areas. It has been proposed that the use of negative elevation angles yields a solution to this problem. Three adjacent mountaintop WSR-88Ds that cover most of Utah are KMTX (Salt Lake City, UT), KGJX (Grand Junction, CO), and KICX (Cedar City, UT). The feasibility of using negative elevation angles for these radars is simulated using different weather situations. The simulations demonstrate the potential for improved detections of low-alitutde weather conditions surrounding the radars.