Evening star., 1954-05-20
Radar.EIectronics
Being Used 10 Help
Weather Forecasts
BY the Associotsd Press

~ LOUISVILLE, n.y., May ZU.-
The United States Weather Bu-
reau Is turning to new tools of
science-radar and electronics-
- for more reliable weather FORE
casts and observations.
Pleased with preliminary re-
suits, the bureau also predicts
that for longer-period forecasts
the electronic computer may
usher in a new era in the sci
ence Of weather forecasting."
Lists New Advances.
r. C. Grubb Of Washington,
special assistant to the chief of
the Weather Bureau, outlined
these projects to the Nations
champion worriers about the
weather-some $50 airport man
agers-here:
/. Modification Of more than
100 surplus Navy radar units
for use in preparing severe
weather warnings. Twenty of
these sets already have been
Installed at stations east of the
Rocky Mountains.
Mr.. Grubb said radar is ca
pable of detecting the precipi-
tation forms which character
,ize each Of several types of
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., squalls,
hail. tornadoes or freezing rain
in their early stages of devel-
opment and sometimes at dis
tances of 200 miles.
"Radar reports give informa-
ton to the forecaster that may
signal a chain of weather events
of great Importance to his fore
cast. and may point to the need
of special advices or warnings"
he said.
2. Work under contract by
Prof. H. L. Jones of Oklahoma
A6SM College, Saltwater, Okla.
in the detection of tornadoes.
Mr.. Grubb said Prof. Jones
has combined the use Of radar
with direction finding Of static
discharges, and is trying to re-
late the number of such dis
charges per second with
tornado funnel.
His work may lead to the de-
velopment of equipment which
will locate and track tornadoes
within radius Of 100 miles or
more of an observing station"
Mr.. Grubb added.
Automatic Reporting.
8. Development of fully auto
matte weather reporting equip
. ment which can be connected
directly to the bureaus tele-
= typewriter circuits. An install
lation at Park Place, Pa,
: operating unattended since April
: "a, transmits altimeter setting,
wind direction, wind velocity.
temperature and humidity, and
: eventually also will report
: ceiling" heights and visibility.
Another installation at Sand
: berg, Calf, transmits similar
reports during the night hours.
= Immediate use of the auto
% matte weather station will be
= limited to remote locations from
\ which aviation weather reports
3 are required and to the night
: time hours at low activity air
2 ports" Mr.. Grubb said.
:. 'Long-range possibilities of
:, the automatic weather stations
.are encouraging. They ulti-
= mately may be not only the sole
economical means of obtaining
= weather information from many
: airports where the Government
cannot afford to maintain
. weather reporting staff, but also
: may provide a far more precise
up to = the minute record of
weather variations at the end Of
the instrument runway of all
major airports."
4. Tests of two new instru-
rotating beam cello
meter and a transmissometer-
to measure cloud heights and
: visibility over and near airports,
so that pilots may have more
accurate landing weather infor-
- nation. Results at Macarthur
and Idlewild Airports, New York,