Sunday, May 19, 2013

By Nelson Sigelman
Published: April 30, 2009

Last Thursday, WeatherFlow technicians installed wind-monitoring equipment capable of withstanding hurricane force winds at the Lagoon launch ramp in Vineyard Haven. The installation adds Martha's Vineyard to a national weather data collection network designed to provide storm information to government agencies and academic institutions.

There is a more immediate benefit for local boaters, who know well that mainland weather predictions do not always hold true for Martha's Vineyard. In the near future, information from the monitoring station will be available online.

This solar-powered weather station was placed on top of a storm-proof pole at the Lagoon Pond launch ramp in Tisbury. It is part of a national hurricane data collection system that will also provide daily meteorological information for boaters.

WeatherFlow, a California based company that specializes in monitoring, modeling, and forecasting wind and weather conditions in coastal zones, is currently in the second phase of creating a "Hurricane Network." The company expects the system will be competed by the start of the 2009 hurricane season on June 1.

In all, 100 weather stations spread along the coast from Texas to Massachusetts will monitor weather conditions. According to the company, stations are placed near coastal urban concentrations and are specifically designed to withstand the conditions associated with a hurricane striking land.

WeatherFlow officials first approached the town of Tisbury in September 2008 for permission to erect a station for a minimum period of four years. In exchange, the town would receive free data and contribute to the effort to better understand storm dynamics.

The cost of the reinforced cement pole and solar-powered instrument package designed to withstand winds of 200 mph is approximately $25,000.

In a telephone conversation, David Morris, WeatherFlow meteorologist, said the company is arranging to provide data to local emergency management personnel, Tisbury harbormaster Jay Wilbur, and the town's website.

Mr. Morris said the monitoring stations would extend from Scituate to the Florida Keys and along the Gulf Coast to Corpus Christi in Texas. "It's quite the network, the first of its kind," said Mr. Morris. "There are obviously plenty of weather stations along the coast. But when a hurricane has made a landfall in the past, usually all the weather stations break before the eye comes ashore so there isn't much data from these storms."

Working with researchers at the University of Florida, WeatherFlow built the hurricane network to withstand the forces associated with a major storm. The equipment received its first realistic test in September 2008, when Hurricane Ike made landfall on the Texas coastline with wind gusts over 110 mph.

Mr. Morris said all the existing weather stations failed before the eye came ashore. "We had seven stations operational as part of this hurricane hardened network and they all recorded perfect data throughout the entire event - which is a first and pretty exciting."

As most Vineyard boaters and fishermen know well, wind direction and speed often varies around Martha's Vineyard. Mr. Morris said that Jay Wilbur, Tisbury harbormaster, has been a strong advocate for the system and is now very excited about the prospect of more reliable information. "In the past, he used data from the airport, and often it is completely different from where he is working," said Mr. Morris.

The Hurricane net is a private-public collaborative project that includes the University of Florida, NOAA and regional utility companies. According to WeatherFlow background information, "Besides the obvious benefits of improved real-time situation awareness such as improved watch and warning capabilities, the heightened criteria allowing data to be collected throughout the entire duration of a storm will allow for post-event analysis, paving the way to increased understanding about storm structure. The derived benefits are likely to be revealed on a multitude of fronts from optimizing evacuation strategies, to lowering insurance rates."

In addition to the hurricane project, WeatherFlow also provides Internet subscriber services for sailors and fishermen. For example, sailors can receive daily reports as well as computer model forecasts at www.sailflow.com.