5/8/09: Norman, OK

First of all, welcome to Gabe Garfield's blogging spot for VORTEX-2. I will try to keep this as updated as possible, including images from our adventures. I will probably keep some information to myself, in order to protect the guilty (;-)).

On Friday, the mobile mesonet group met at the National Weather Center to get an overview of how the mobile mesonet works. We learned that there are three different temperature sensors on the mobile mesonet. Apparently, the multiplicity helps to determine the accuracy of the various thermistor models during different situations -- e.g., in the rain and hail vs. the inflow of a supercell. We also learned about the computer stuff that is installed below the floorboard: a computer, two high-speed internet cards, and a cell phone amplifier.

In the mobile mesonet, there is a ham radio, switches for both power and hazard lights, and a really slick set-up for data collection and navigation information. In particular, a new program called "SASSI" is capable of showing the position of all vehicles in V2, the mobile mesonet data in real-time, 88-D data, and -- possibly -- data from the 5 or 6 mobile radars in REAL TIME. Can you say "AWESOME"?!

Mobile mesonet crew members during operation orientation.