The Phased Array Radar Innovative Sensing Experiment 2013

The Phased Array Radar Innovative Sensing Experiment (PARISE) was initiated with the goal of exploring the impact of higher-temporal resolution radar data on the warning decision making process of National Weather Service (NWS) forecasters. With a potential update time of less than 1 min, phased array radar (PAR) may prove to be advantageous to forecasters during severe and rapidly evolving weather. PARISE 2010 and 2012 focused on tornadic events. Both experiments reported promising results, as demonstrated by improved forecaster warning performance by using the temporal update time of PAR data over that of the existing Weather Surveillance Radar -1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) data.

The 2013 experiment built on previous methodology and switched the forecasting focus to severe hail and damaging wind events. Twelve NWS forecasters visited the National Weather Center in Norman, Oklahoma to participate in PARISE 2013. This experiment followed an independent measures design. Participants were assigned to a control or experiment group, receiving approximately 4- or 1- min volumetric temporal updates, respectively. All forecasters worked the same three weather cases with the assigned objective of warning on severe weather. Cases were played back in displaced real-time using the AWIPS-2 system, which is a familiar software environment used in all NWS forecast offices. To attain an in-depth understanding of each forecaster's warning decision process, a cognitive task analysis procedure was implemented in the form of a case walk-through. Verification of warnings, assessment of lead time, and a thorough analysis of the warning decision making process is underway. This analysis will provide insight into the extent that higher-temporal resolution data can be effectively used to interrogate severe hail and damaging wind events.