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  • Author or Editor: Christopher D. Karstens x
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Amy McGovern
,
Kimberly L. Elmore
,
David John Gagne II
,
Sue Ellen Haupt
,
Christopher D. Karstens
,
Ryan Lagerquist
,
Travis Smith
, and
John K. Williams

Abstract

High-impact weather events, such as severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes, cause significant disruptions to infrastructure, property loss, and even fatalities. High-impact events can also positively impact society, such as the impact on savings through renewable energy. Prediction of these events has improved substantially with greater observational capabilities, increased computing power, and better model physics, but there is still significant room for improvement. Artificial intelligence (AI) and data science technologies, specifically machine learning and data mining, bridge the gap between numerical model prediction and real-time guidance by improving accuracy. AI techniques also extract otherwise unavailable information from forecast models by fusing model output with observations to provide additional decision support for forecasters and users. In this work, we demonstrate that applying AI techniques along with a physical understanding of the environment can significantly improve the prediction skill for multiple types of high-impact weather. The AI approach is also a contribution to the growing field of computational sustainability. The authors specifically discuss the prediction of storm duration, severe wind, severe hail, precipitation classification, forecasting for renewable energy, and aviation turbulence. They also discuss how AI techniques can process “big data,” provide insights into high-impact weather phenomena, and improve our understanding of high-impact weather.

Open access
John S. Kain
,
Steve Willington
,
Adam J. Clark
,
Steven J. Weiss
,
Mark Weeks
,
Israel L. Jirak
,
Michael C. Coniglio
,
Nigel M. Roberts
,
Christopher D. Karstens
,
Jonathan M. Wilkinson
,
Kent H. Knopfmeier
,
Humphrey W. Lean
,
Laura Ellam
,
Kirsty Hanley
,
Rachel North
, and
Dan Suri

Abstract

In recent years, a growing partnership has emerged between the Met Office and the designated U.S. national centers for expertise in severe weather research and forecasting, that is, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) and the NOAA Storm Prediction Center (SPC). The driving force behind this partnership is a compelling set of mutual interests related to predicting and understanding high-impact weather and using high-resolution numerical weather prediction models as foundational tools to explore these interests.

The forum for this collaborative activity is the NOAA Hazardous Weather Testbed, where annual Spring Forecasting Experiments (SFEs) are conducted by NSSL and SPC. For the last decade, NSSL and SPC have used these experiments to find ways that high-resolution models can help achieve greater success in the prediction of tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds. Beginning in 2012, the Met Office became a contributing partner in annual SFEs, bringing complementary expertise in the use of convection-allowing models, derived in their case from a parallel decadelong effort to use these models to advance prediction of flash floods associated with heavy thunderstorms.

The collaboration between NSSL, SPC, and the Met Office has been enthusiastic and productive, driven by strong mutual interests at a grassroots level and generous institutional support from the parent government agencies. In this article, a historical background is provided, motivations for collaborative activities are emphasized, and preliminary results are highlighted.

Full access
Adam J. Clark
,
Israel L. Jirak
,
Timothy A. Supinie
,
Kent H. Knopfmeier
,
Jake Vancil
,
David Jahn
,
David Harrison
,
Allison Lynn Brannan
,
Christopher D. Karstens
,
Eric D. Loken
,
Nathan A. Dahl
,
Makenzie Krocak
,
David Imy
,
Andrew R. Wade
,
Jeffrey M. Milne
,
Kimberly A. Hoogewind
,
Pamela L. Heinselman
,
Montgomery Flora
,
Joshua Martin
,
Brian C. Matilla
,
Joseph C. Picca
,
Patrick S. Skinner
, and
Patrick Burke
Open access
Adam J. Clark
,
Israel L. Jirak
,
Burkely T. Gallo
,
Brett Roberts
,
Kent H. Knopfmeier
,
Jake Vancil
,
David Jahn
,
Makenzie Krocak
,
Christopher D. Karstens
,
Eric D. Loken
,
Nathan A. Dahl
,
David Harrison
,
David Imy
,
Andrew R. Wade
,
Jeffrey M. Milne
,
Kimberly A. Hoogewind
,
Montgomery Flora
,
Joshua Martin
,
Brian C. Matilla
,
Joseph C. Picca
,
Corey K. Potvin
,
Patrick S. Skinner
, and
Patrick Burke
Open access