NAWC Services
CLOUD SEEDING/
WEATHER MODIFICATION:
Snow and Rain
Augmentation
Fog Dissipation
Feasibility Studies
Design/Evaluation Studies
Cloud Physics/
Tracer Studies
Technology and
Equipment Transfer
APPLIED METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES:
Hurricane Forecast
Support
Probable Maximum
Precipitation (PMP)
Studies
Climate Studies
Forensic Meteorology/
Expert Testimony
Specialized Forecasting
Meteorology Monitoring
Data Retrieval
Radar-Derived Rainfall Estimates
AIR QUALITY SERVICES:
Ambient Monitoring
Meteorology Monitoring
Tracer Studies
NAWC Ads
Take a look at our ads!
NAWC Flyer
NAWC Weather Modification Ad
Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) Flyer
North American Weather Consultants
Applied Meteorological Services
A few of our Applied
Meteorological Services are listed below. If you don't see the service you desire,
please contact us and we can discuss your needs in further detail.
Site-Specific Hurricane Forecast Support
An All-Too-Familiar Problem
Critical medical facilities face many operational and safety considerations in the face of impending and active hurricane occurrences. These extreme weather events involve activation of special (costly) emergency operations procedures and staffing to help ensure uninterrupted patient care while safeguarding the safety of hospital personnel.
Key questions are when to activate and terminate emergency operations. General public forecasts are necessarily regional and at intervals of several hours. They cannot focus on small scale features or precise timing issues. Decision makers must deal with their specific operations issues on a different time line. Activation of emergency procedures too early can increase costs significantly and lead to personnel burnout, while late activation can compromise operations and increase risk to hospital personnel who are traveling to/from the hospital. Similar issues surround the timely termination of emergency operations.
An Attractive Solution
Site-specific weather forecast support during critical weather periods can help decision makers immensely, potentially saving considerable cost while enhancing patient and personnel safety. Updates synchronized with shift changes and internal decision points can make a world of difference. That is what we at North American Weather Consultants (NAWC) can provide, 24/7 site-specific support near real-time, such as:
 | First alerts regarding potential hurricane development that may impact the area of interest |
| Tracking of landfall probability |
| Onset timing for critical weather conditions at your facility |
| Nowcast support during storm events |
| Support for termination of emergency operations |
NAWC Can Help
We have meteorologists who have provided such support for the past two hurricane seasons, including infamous 2005.
For More Information
To discuss the possibilities for your area or facility, please contact Mark Solak at 801-942-9005 or via e-mail at msolak@nawcinc.com.
Probable Maximum Precipitation
Studies
North American Weather Consultants has conducted detailed regional and site-specific
Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) for watersheds in the U.S. upper Midwest (Wisconsin,
Michigan and Ohio), the Southeast (North and South Carolina) and in the West (Colorado and
New Mexico). The studies have been requested by dam owners/operators who are facing
regulatory agency dam licensing or re-licensing requirements. They have chosen the
site-specific study approach as an option to utilizing the generalized PMP values found in
federal Hydrometeorological Reports (HMR's). To date, with only a few minor exceptions,
the studies have indicated lower PMP/PMF for the basins, and, following acceptance, have
resulted in significant savings to the owners/operators. In addition to savings in
construction and remediation costs, the lower PMP values have offered our clients enhanced
water management options. Acceptance of studies has been granted by the appropriate
regulatory agencies, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for dams with hydroelectric
power facilities, and the various State Engineers' Offices.
The studies are primarily storm-based, incorporating climatologies of historic extreme
storms and regional precipitation. Building upon a foundation of accepted storm evaluation
techniques, such as found in the HMR's, a number of important regional and site-specific
basin characteristics which affect the occurrence and location of PMP-level storms and the
production of extreme precipitation are also considered in detail. Some key factors
include basin elevation, regional and basin terrain influences, available atmospheric
moisture, seasonality of storm types, and storm maximization, positioning and orientation.
This combination of techniques and evaluation factors results in refined, study
area-specific PMP estimates. North American Weather Consultants will tailor a
site-specific or regional study to your specific basin characteristics and needs. Drop us
a note if you would like further information.
For additional information on Probable Maximum Precipitation studies view the following publications:
| Innovative Design Approaches for the South Platte Reservoir - PDF Format - Hi Resolution (2033 KB) or Low Resolution (1030 KB) |
| Site-Specific PMP Flyer - PDF Format - (22KB) |
Climatological Studies
North American Weather Consultants maintains a library of long-term weather records for the U.S. and many other regions around the world. We can research historical meteorological records in a given area to provide a profile of meteorological conditions for that area. Means, extremes values, standard deviations of such parameters as precipitation, temperature and wind data can be calculated. Return periods for various parameters can be calculated. Examples of such calculations are 100-year maximum wind gust, 100-year maximum hourly precipitation, maximum expected snow-loading, or return frequency for an extreme weather event such as a tornado, hurricane or damaging wind storm. North American Weather Consultants uses the latest statistical techniques to derive long term return values using relatively short duration representative data sets. Please contact us for further information
Fog Seeding/Dissipation
North American Weather Consultants (NAWC) has signed an exclusive three-year licensing agreement with the University of Utah Technology Commercialization Office effective March 30, 2007. The agreement grants NAWC the exclusive right to use University of Utah patent # 5628455. An embodiment of the patented invention is a method for the reduction of supercooled fog, which comprises introducing liquid carbon dioxide into the fog from and along the ground by moving vehicles, in a quantity to diminish the supercooled fog. The method is of potential value in activities in which poor visibility due to the presence of supercooled fog is a constraining factor (e.g. winter airport operations). Please see Fog Dissipation for details.
Expert Testimony (Forensic
Meteorology)
North American Weather Consultants has extensive experience in providing expert testimony at hearings and in conjunction with litigation. North American Weather Consultants professionals are able to translate complex technical issues and empirical data into information that is useful to the courts or decision-making agencies. We specialize in providing testimony with regard to atmospheric dispersion conditions (odor and/or health issues), reconstruction of meteorological conditions related to accidents, or general testimony on a wide variety of meteorological issues where the input of an atmospheric expert can be important in deciding a case. Please contact us for more information.
Specialized Meteorological
Forecasting
North American Weather Consultants operates a complete synoptic forecast laboratory with access to all the latest meteorological measurements (surface and upper-air) from around the world. Many activities are subject to weather conditions. Outdoor sporting events or construction activities, for example, can be negatively impacted by adverse weather conditions. Specialized weather forecasts can be effectively utilized to minimize such negative impacts. Our meteorologists can provide specialized forecasts for a wide variety of situations such as:
| Site-specific precipitation/temperature/wind forecasts |
| Atmospheric dispersion/weather forecasts needed for outdoor activities |
| Construction site forecasts |
| Fruit-frost forecasts |
| Quantitative precipitation forecasts |
| Maximum/minimum temperature forecasts |
| Ship/truck routing forecasts |
If your specific needs are not listed here or we can be of further assistance, please contact us by email
or phone (801) 942-9005.
Meteorological Data Archival and
Retrieval
Are you in need of some historical weather data? Do you need to archive data from a certain location for later use (such as dispersion modeling)? Do you need to prepare some meteorological data for dispersion modeling input? North American Weather Consultants has upper air (rawinsonde) data from all U.S. sites from the 1940s to the present. We have in-house information on most historical meteorological data collected in the United States and considerable data available for sites abroad. If there is a station for which you need surface or upper air data archived, we may be able to assist you with this as well. If you require meteorological data which we do not have, we can most likely find it. Please contact us
with any requests.
Radar-Derived Rainfall Estimates
Hydrologists and engineers frequently face difficulties when attempting to estimate rainfall for storm reconstructions or a variety of design applications. All too often, rain gages in a region of interest are not particularly representative of a specific point or area of interest.
Time-resolved estimates of rainfall using weather radar records can be derived for points or areas where adequately representative gage measurements are not available. The coverage of National Weather Service NEXRAD (next generation radar) sites provides rich data over most portions of the U.S. Careful processing and analysis of data from the NEXRAD radars can provide rainfall estimates at time intervals as short as 5-6 minutes.
We have the data sources, software and expertise to assist you with your rainfall estimation needs and can produce time-resolved spreadsheet data ready to use with your analysis package. Using tested data extraction techniques and objective navigation methods for precipitation trajectories, combined with calibration using rain gage data to determine the proper reflectivity-rainfall (Z-R) relationship, we can provide the data you need in a timely manner. We have successfully supported other clients and stand ready to assist you.
To discuss the possibilities for your project or application, give NAWC a call. We're here to help. Contact Mark Solak at 801-942-9005 or via e-mail at msolak@nawcinc.com.