Extreme precipitation in the San Francisco Bay Area can quickly result in life-threatening weather conditions, causing harm and devastation to both life and property. As these extreme events become more frequent, it is increasingly crucial to minimize weather data gaps. This project aims to address these gaps in west-coast urban areas, such as the San Francisco Bay area, to improve the prediction of extreme precipitation events in these areas using the recently established Advanced Quantitative Precipitation Information (AQPI) System. The AQPI System leverages available weather observations and model data to improve extreme precipitation monitoring and forecasts, inturn, reducing the underlying environmental justice inequities which have been created by meteorological observations gaps.
As noted by NOAA’s Physical Sciences Laboratory (PSL), “The seeds of AQPI were sown in the early 2000s with the deployment of advanced instrumentation and research studies focused on understanding extreme precipitation events in the CA coastal range and Sierra as part of NOAA’s Hydrometeorology Testbed (HMT) program.”
As a densely populated urban area embedded within an area with complex, mountainous topography with radar beam blockage issues, the San Francisco Bay Area faces an increased risk from hydrometeorological geohazards such as post-wildfire debris flows. Through the demonstration of how the AQPI network of 5 gap-filling radars can be integrated into high-resolution modeling as well as within decision support tools, this project seeks to provide observational and forecasting platforms to increase the resiliency of the community and land to extreme precipitation and other related hazards that affect the San Francisco Bay Area.
The project will partner with local, regional, and national National Weather Service (NWS) offices and local entities to pave the way for longer-term implementation where warranted.
Project Title: Demonstrate and Expand a 21st Century Radar, Modeling and Decision Support System to Improve Environmental Equity and Resilience to Extreme Precipitation in a Mountainous, West-Coast, Urban Area: Phase 2 of the Advanced Quantitative Precipitation Information (AQPI) System
PIs/Collaborators:
Fred M. Ralph, Ph.D., Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego
Rob Cifelli, Ph.D., NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory (PSL)
V. Chandrasekar, Ph.D., Colorado State University (CSU)/Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA)
For additional information on AQPI, please visit:
https://cw3e.ucsd.edu/aqpi/
https://psl.noaa.gov/aqpi/