Comments on: Another Snowmaker enroute; Pattern Change in the Distance

By: garden tool suppliers

garden tool suppliers — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:22:16 +0000

While this topic can be very challenging for most people, my belief is that there has to be a middle or common ground that we all can find. I do value that you’ve added pertinent and intelligent commentary here though. Very much thanks to you!

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 15:25:16 +0000

Thanks for the response Z. Those windfarms are close to the area where thunderstorms develop. By this i mean the area “out of the Lake Erie shadow effect”. I have lived in Franklinville for 32 years and Arcade for 6 years. Often times i have seen storms form over our area or just to the east due to the lakes influence.

By: z

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 14:59:55 +0000

Stretch:

http://www.wbuf.noaa.gov/webclimo/JAN14.htm

By: z

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 14:59:03 +0000

Stretch,

WIVB/NWS can verify this as I don’t have a complete climate record in front of me, but I think it was 91mph on Jan 14, 1950.

By: z

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 14:57:07 +0000

Mike,

The answer to you question really depends on a large number of factors. If the event was ongoing, it wouldn’t be too much of a problem except for the fact that meteorologists wouldn’t be able to determine if the storm was intensifying or weakening. However, if the storm were developing right over a wind farm, it *could* delay a warning for a few/several minutes and reduce lead time.

You’ve sort of hit the nail on the head with the worst case scenario.

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 14:30:14 +0000

Don or Z. Are the residents around theses wind farms in any danger of not being warned of severe weather when it approaches? Can you take into consideration these radar echos and accuratley say there is or is not a tornado in the immediate area? Lucky for us tonados are not all that common in our area. Although there was one a few years back that hit south Warasw just over the hill from the Bliss wind farm.

By: z

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 13:58:39 +0000

applejack,

I don’t recall/cannot find the complete timeline for the Eagle wind farm, but the Sheldon farm was built during the summer of 2008 and did not become operational until the late summer/fall. Wind farms become a problem when they become operational, and both locations have been a problem throughout the late summer/fall.

Meteorologists are trained to interpret radar signatures and it’s pretty easy to ignore stationary radar “clutter” from a few locations, but it is still a problem when a storm passes over these locations. If you were to add 10, 20, or more wind farms, you’d make it much more difficult for meteorologists to separate the man made clutter from real meteorological signals.

Meanwhile, automated algorithms have a very difficult time with these new manmade signals. An untrained radar user would/will have a hard time with false radar echoes, some of which could be interpreted as a tornadic signature.

NWS and researchers are working on a means for removing wind turbine clutter. But, research takes time, and it will be a while (years) for such research gets into an operational radar.

I, like Don, don’t want to confuse this issue with pro vs anti alternative energy, but it is an issue with storm detection.

By: applejack

applejack — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 12:56:12 +0000

It’s pretty funny that even though the bliss/wethersfield and sheldon windparks have been erected for over a year-now that they are now causing a problem for the radar?????

By: Mary Beth Wrobel

Mary Beth Wrobel — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 12:54:26 +0000

Light lake effect snow showers/flurries are paying a visit to WNY this Saturday morning. Only minor accumulation is expected, but the bigger story is the sharply cold air that has arrived. Temps this morning are nearly 40 degrees colder compared to this time yesterday. Certainly, a shock to the system! We’re back into Winter’s Cold

By: stretch

stretch — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 02:15:10 +0000

Does anyone know the strongest wind gust ever recorded in Buffalo?