20 August 2004

0000	Manual reset, was basically able to top the closest storms this time around.

0015	Manual reset, bringing down top angles and improving vert res as nearby storms have collapsed.

0030	Manual reset.  Continue to bring down top angle and improve vert res.  Strongest activity is coalescing far to our north, as well as due east.  A lot of good cells out there, high reflectivity with good phase shift, but no MCS-like organization just yet.

0100	Manual reset.  Northern system continues to coalesce and organize.  Eastern system looks good too but is not as big.

0135	New development near 80 deg, 60 km from radar - not topped, raising upper angle on last scan.

0156	Eastern convection looking pretty good.  Northern convection also holding strong but pretty far away.  Raising upper angles at expense of vert res.

0215	ClimoNear as northern and SE storms are getting too far apart to scan with this sector anymore.

0300	Northern convection moving offshore and off-scope.  New development to our N & NE.  Eastern storms perishing.

0315	ClimoFar.  Trend toward stratiform is increasing.  Stuff crapping out fast.

0400    James Done arrives. Mainly stratiform regions over the SMO and the odd embedded convective core over the coastal plains 100km or so to the north of SPOL.

0530	Stratiform regions tracking east off the radar scope and reducing in area and intensity. Switched to climoshallow. Land-breeze front observed 5km offshore.

0757	The SPOL antenna control interface has frozen. All the other displays are up-to-date and the radar is still running (and being archived) so we're leaving it for the time being. Only the odd cell 200km from the radar. 

0830	Have just noticed that the past 3 scan sequences didn't start on the 15 minute mark. Climoshallow was automatically restarting as soon as it had finished so we were getting out of synch (I think). I reset the PC with the SPOL antenna control interface on and reloaded the software. It all started up OK and showed the correct time.

0845	Resynched climoshallow.

1100	Weak cells firing over high terrain to the East of SPOL ~135km away.

1213	Brenda Dolan here.  Saw some lightning on the way in...must be associated with the weak convection over the high terrain to the east. General flow is toward the north.

1326	Convection is dying and moving out of the radar scope.

1539	Still some light echo over the mountains. Otherwise quiet.

1637	Noticed the antenna wasn't turning, so restarted ClimoShallow.

1645	Had to resynch the scans, and switched to ClimoFar as a couple of cells have popped up to the East and are starting to intensify. They are still 160km from S-Pol, but reflectivities are above 50dBz.

1705	The antenna was not turning again...guess the last scan ran long...I'll have to keep an eye on it and resynch at 1715.

1715	Cut of top three elevation angles in order to resynch. Switched back to ClimoShallow since we are able to top the storms to the east with and elevation angle of 6deg.

1732	The cell to the ENE is 150km away with a nice reflectivity core and a leading stratiform region. Still able to top it with ClimoShallow.

1749	A new cell has developed a little north west of the previous one. It too has >50dBz.  The other one has pretty much died now.
 
1840	Starting to see the convection pop up over the mountains.  Also can see the sea breeze coming in.

1910	Starting to see enough convection over the mountains to warrent ClimoFar, so will switch at the next 15 minute mark.

1915	Once again in ClimoFar. Scattered convection breaking out over mountains.

2000	Lang here.  ClimoFar continues, looks like diurnal mtn convection is getting going, propagation seems northward today.  Some coastal convection along the sea brz too.

2045	ClimoNear to cover small nearby storm.

2127	These nearby storms and ClimoNear continue.

2230	ClimoFar as the nearby convection has tailed off. 

2245	Back to ClimoNear as there is renewed convection nearby.

2315	ClimoFar again as nearby convection peters out.  Overall, there is now some westward propagation due to preferential redevelopment, but cells are clearly sticking to the peaks.  Indeed, they are propagating from peak to peak with time.  Very interesting.

2319	Cell near 80 km, 90 deg looks pretty good.  Definitely the strongest thing out there.

2345	Switched PRFs and now running MicroFar135 on the intense eastern cell.  This will not cover every cell out there, and may not top some close-in cells, but this main cell is the best case out there right now so I have tailored the scans toward it.